When Hothead meets Blockhead
by AnaFrost
Summary: When Goten turns 18, it's time for him to move out and start living his life on his own. And when things go wrong, Goten is forced to get a job and find a new place to stay. Namely, the Hikawa Shrine, where his problems immediately switch from bad to worse when he meets Rei! What happens when these two meet? Will they get along? Read and find out!
1. A Rough Start

**AN: Hi, everybody. I'm back with a new story! Cool, huh? Ok, lately this pairing has been sticking on me more than ever. I just wanted to write this to ventilate my ideas. I still adore Trunks and Usagi, and they will always be my favorite! But now, I think something new won't hurt…Okay, on with the first chapter!**

**Chapter 1: A Rough Start**

"Crap," Son Goten muttered. "I'm running out of cash. What more can go wrong?!" He cursed under his breath.

Goten was 18 years of age. He had black, spiky hair that shot out in all directions. His matching black eyes glared down at his soon to be empty wallet. He sat down in front of a campfire in the middle of the woods and sighed.

Three months ago, he had moved out of his parents' house to start living life on his own. Problem was, he couldn't hold a job for more than a week and didn't make enough money to pay rent everywhere he resided. How come? Well…Goten was the type of guy that got sidetracked easily, especially around girls. The last place he had worked had to close down because of a flood that _**he**_ caused by spending more time flirting with the female customers than washing the dishes.

Now, with no job, a place to live, and little money, there was no way he could continue living by himself. He even went over to Capsule Corp and asked if he could temporarily stay there, but Vegeta was completely against it. He should have thought about that before replacing Vegeta's shampoo with pink hair dye. Goten ran his hand through his shaggy mane and continued to mope.

"I can't just go back to mom and dad's, that'd be embarrassing. Not only that, but I would have to live with all of mom's rules all over again!" He let out a growl of frustration. Chi-Chi had always been an overbearing and overprotective mother, but her actions had a tendency to stifle his social life. Goten wanted to prove to her that he was grown up and finally ready to take care of himself, without her having to hover all the time.

So far he wasn't doing too well on that, since it was his third day living in the forest and all... he was thankful that he had at least grown up surrounded by nature. He managed by sleeping in treetops, eating fruit, and bathing in the river. Still, it wasn't enough. As convenient as it was, he didn't belong there.

The young half-saiyan stood back up with a determined look on his face. "All right!" he started. "I'm not giving up. I'm going back to the city to get myself a job-!" However, his growling stomach loudly interrupted his noble declaration. "…Tomorrow!"

'You can't go looking for work on an empty stomach.' He thought before making his merry way towards the river to catch some lunch.

* * *

"Wow, this place is gorgeous!" Usagi exclaimed in awe.

The girls were on the last few days of their vacation before starting their senior year of high school, so Ami had suggested that they go swimming together. Makoto then recommended a forest up in the mountain district that she had visited once while on a training expedition. She claimed to have only been there once but she had been fond of the place ever since. They stood on the grass patch, free of trees, watching the river flow.

"Yeah, you were right, Mako-chan! This is the perfect place for a swim." Minako grinned cheerfully.

They set up blankets on the ground to assemble their lunches and snacks. Usagi and Minako were the first to dig in, savoring Makoto's homemade meals. Ami took out a sandwich to eat while cracking open a text book. The other girls frowned; leave it to Ami to study on vacation…

Rei slipped off her sundress and matching sandals, now wearing only her bikini.

Makoto stared at her inquisitively. "You're not going to eat?"

Rei simply shook her head. "Nah, I'd rather swim first." She didn't want to eat, and then swim, only to get hungry again. "Save some sandwiches for me." She waved back at them as she ran towards the river.

"Okay," Makoto called out before Rei dove in the water. She relished the cold temperature of the water; this was just what she needed after enduring the long hike under the scorching sun to get there.

Her vacation so far was less than what she had hoped for. Grandpa had gotten sick and it was up to Rei to manage the temple all by herself. It was both exhausting and time consuming. Her schedule would consist of: wake up at dawn, sweep at the entrance, run to the pharmacy, give Grandpa his medications, mind the charm stand, cook, and then spend the night cleaning the entire temple. She hardly had time for herself or her friends. She even stressed over the possibility that this would continue even when she went back to school. She shuddered at the thought; her grades would slip dramatically, no doubt. If she didn't have time for herself how in blazes could she make time to study?

She continued to swim forward, letting the current sweep her away. She needed some time to herself to reflect and gather her thoughts. Listening to the girls chat would be a distraction at the moment. She backstroked along the stream, looking up at the sky and tall trees. She looked to the side, staring deep into the woods, glancing in wonder at all the plant and animal life. She felt something in her mind click for an instance but didn't know what it was. She ignored it and continued swimming.

"_**Promise..?"**_

"Hello?" She looked around, thinking she was hearing voices. "Where did that come from?" She asked herself, puzzled.

After her violet eyes searched the forest, she didn't see anybody around and shuddered. She shook the thought away for her own well-being.

"Now's not the time to act crazy!" She scolded herself. "Oh, great…I'm talking to myself. Perfect." She sighed bitterly and submerged herself back in the water, swimming onward.

She came up for air and took a deep breath to submerge herself once more. She looked around at all the fish swimming by and smiled. She felt pretty envious of them; they probably didn't have a care in the world.

Her gaze focused ahead and she noticed enormous tree roots digging into the dirt and looping under the water as if forming a cave. She decided to swim through it since she could see an opening big enough for her to squeeze through. She slid her head and arms through easily but suddenly came to a halt at her torso area. She tried to her hardest to push herself forward but was caught by her bikini top. Her body began to writhe, attempting to wiggle loose. It proved to be a bad idea as unfriendly branches dug into her skin. The shrine maiden clenched her teeth in pain, feeling a couple prod her deep enough to break skin. Tiny bubbles began to escape her nostrils, remnants of the precious oxygen she had left. Her mind began to race in panic. She had to get free!

Her hands reached up to the strings of her bikini and tugged as hard as she could while kicking her feet frantically from the other side. Her eyes shut tight as she felt the twigs prodding her once more; she felt her body inch forward yet was caught again, this time by her hair. Rei began to flail her limbs desperately as she felt her chest tighten and her ears hurting. If she didn't get out, the possibility of her drowning was imminent. Her heart was racing as the thought plagued her mind. Out of nowhere a monstrous sized fish came into view and was hurling towards her. A mass of bright blue and silver scales parted to reveal a collection of dangerously sharp teeth in its mouth.

A scream escaped her lips in the form of large bubbles, the last bit of air she had left to rely on. Suddenly the fish was pulled back against its will, its body thrashed upon the rock beneath it. Rei reached her arms out in a final attempt to get herself free but her vision began to give out on her and the exhaustion was closing in. She could only make out a dark figure of a human before going black. Her mind slipped through the cracks of unconsciousness as water began to enter her respiratory system.

Goten had thrashed the fish until it was less resistant before his senses zoned in on a human ki, a fading one. He looked around and to his surprise he was correct. His eyes fell upon a mass of long black hair brushing against pale slender arms.

'Is that a girl?! What is she doing all the way out here?' He thought as he let his meal slip past his fingers and hurriedly kicked towards the limp figure.

He tried to pull her out but realized she was wedged deep in between the roots. He saw blood begin to rise from the fresh cuts on her arms and ribcage. Definitely wasn't a wise idea to pull her; he then decided to punch at the roots and they snapped like Popsicle sticks under the force of his fists. Once the grip on the girl slacked he untangled her hair and top strings from the branches and shot up to the surface with her in his arms.

His feet touched the dry surface and he laid her down flat as Gohan instructed him when teaching him CPR. He pushed away the wet locks that concealed her face and nearly stopped in his tracks. She was beautiful! At least compared to all the other girls he'd seen. He then remembered the crisis at hand and pinched her nostrils closed and locked lips with hers to flow hair back into her body. He pulled away to take a deep breath before going back down to blow it back into her. He pulled away once more to press his hands against the center of her chest and pump to help induce the flow. He repeated the routine persistently, determined to breathe life back into her.

"Come on, don't you give out on me. I don't even know your name!" He pleaded.

"_**I'll come back."**_

_**"Promise..?"**_

"_**I promise."**_

The raven haired woman coughed up water and gasped breaths of fresh air. Her back arched with each breath as her body temporarily convulsed. He pulled away in relief.

"Thank goodness. I almost thought you were a goner," he said with a reassuring smile.

Rei's vision was foggy from all the water as it was fixed upon what was possibly the same silhouette she'd seen underwater. Her eyelids fluttered open and closed in order to restore the blurry image of her rescuer. Rei moved her arms as if to prop herself to sit up, yet a strong hand lightly pressed down her shoulder.

"Easy there. Don't try and sit up yet. You might get woozy," a soothing voice graced her ears.

She blinked as she was now able to make out the young man's face. A collection of soaked messy locks of black hair framed a wholesome yet roughly masculine face decorated by thick eyebrows and dark colored eyes to match his tresses. She was quite fixated on his eyes once she caught sight of them. There was something about them, something warm, kind. She couldn't help but feel reminded of something, possibly something she'd felt a long time ago.

Goten brushed his bangs out of the way to get a better view of her and gulped. Her eyes were just as pretty as her face. He couldn't help but get nervous with the way they intently stared at him. Was he funny looking to her? Did she find him ugly? Was Trunks right about his haircut being awful? The fact that she hadn't said anything yet was making him all the more uncomfortable. Just what were the odds? A gorgeous woman like her out here in the smack dab middle of nowhere. He wasn't sure if this was pure luck or if the heavens were taunting him. After all, there she was in a bikini like she had come out of a swimsuit magazine. A blush crept up on his cheeks as he tried his hardest to keep eye contact. He was now becoming desperate for her to say something.

"U-Um…" he stuttered, having nothing to say.

Rei got a better look at him and her cheeks reddened to match his when she realized he was in nothing but his boxers. He was so well-built, his arms decorated with rippling muscles. Her head got fuzzy with having his warm body hover over hers, supported by his striking arms. Her ears then processed that he had spoken once more.

"Ah, I mean, are you okay?" He cleared his throat.

He hoped he wasn't embarrassing himself by being so inarticulate. She blinked and was pulled back into reality, grasping the probability that she had been laying there for more than just a couple of minutes.

"Ah. I-! Thank you..." she finally spoke up.

Goten's heart began to quicken its pace as her voice reached his ears; it was like music to him. This girl was the total package. He then slowly moved back as he saw her try to sit up once more.

"Y-You're welcome!" He said and gave her a big smile.

She raised her hand up to push her hair back and the loose bikini strings around her neck then slid off from the shift in gravity. Time then slowed down as Goten's eyes widened while unintentionally witnessing her chest being exposed. As they locked in on her bare torso it was nearly impossible for him to look away at that instant.

She then let out a piercing scream of horror which snapped him out of his stupor and found the will to look away.

"I'm sorry!" He exclaimed.

Rei covered her chest with her arms and rose to her feet, proceeding to kick him. "Y-You pig! You pervert, bastard!"

Each surprisingly rough kick smacked his thick noggin. Goten let out yelps of pain as he felt his head get whipped around from the force of each blow. He was in too much surprise and pain to fight back or stop her. He fell over on his back in defeat when she stopped her assault.

"I'll never forgive you!" She shouted before running off.

Goten winced and held his head as he sat up. Just who was that girl?


	2. You Again

**Chapter 2: You Again**

It was just another early morning at the shrine. The raven haired priestess was in the middle of her duties, sweeping up the entrance like always. It had rained the night before, leaving behind a lot of puddles and fallen wet leaves. Yet the one thing that stuck out was said priestess's temperament. She was internally steaming as her mind played back the events from the day before over and over again.

"Should have kicked him in the groin, too." She growled to herself.

Never had she been so angry and embarrassed. As if things weren't already stressful enough in her life. Now she has to deal with the thought of her wardrobe malfunction supplying a strange pervert material for all sorts of lewd fantasies. Her fingers clenched onto the broomstick, knuckles turning white. She wished she had him right in front of her just to kick him all over again. She didn't have the nerve to tell the girls what had really happened; just that she merely got caught in some branches, walking away with some scrapes. She just couldn't help feeling like she had been taken for a fool. Did he save her just to cop a feel? Were men really that low!? She had been so preoccupied with this she couldn't even bring herself to meditate this morning.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a string of sickly coughs could be heard from inside the house by the temple. She relinquished her tight hold on the broomstick as her lips fell to a concerned frown.

"Grandpa," she mumbled to herself as she was brought back to the unfortunate situation she had been worrying about all summer.

That's right, Grandpa was still sick. Last time she checked, his prescription was low as well. She sighed and set the broom against the wall before heading down the stairs to go pick up his refill at the pharmacy. She had already turned the corner, out of sight, by the time a group of motorcycles stopped in front of the shrine steps.

* * *

Goten scratched his head as he had been everywhere the newspaper ads directed him. So far everything had been taken by the time he got there. So this is what the news meant by the economy being terrible. He hung his head while trudging down the sidewalk. He had to find something. He really didn't want to go home a failure. An overlapping piece of the sidewalk stood against his foot, causing him to trip forward and slam face first into a telephone pole.

"Ouch!" The half saiyan grimaced and held his nose in pain. His eyes met a sheet of paper nailed to the post. "Help Wanted at the Hikawa Shrine." He read out loud.

Maybe this was a sign! Uh, well it _was _a sign. But a way to tell him this could be the break he was looking for! He dusted himself off and began to march forward before stopping. Just how could he get to the Hikawa Shrine?

A flood of familiar video game noises flew out of the entrance door to the Crown Arcade as a blonde man around his age stepped out with a broom. He looked friendly; maybe he'd be able to give him directions.

"Excuse me," he spoke up as he stepped towards him.

The blonde man looked up and gave him his full attention.

"Could you tell me how to get to Hikawa Shrine from here? I'm totally lost," Goten said bluntly.

The blonde smiled in response. "Certainly," he said cheerfully, "you just head down this sidewalk until you see a stop sign, make a left, and then keep going straight until you see a bus stop. The steps to the shrine are right there, you can't miss them." The man explained while motioning with his hand.

Goten nodded in understanding, simple enough. "Thank you." He bowed his head.

"What business do you have going to the shrine anyway? If you don't mind me asking, that is," The blonde man scratched his cheek while leaning against his broomstick.

"I'm hoping to get a job there. I've been pretty unlucky on finding one so far," Goten answered sheepishly.

The other man nodded in response. "I see. Well maybe you should take it up with my friend there. Ask for Rei. I'm sure Rei will understand."

Goten smiled from ear to ear. A total stranger had given him a helpful tip. Maybe this was the one he was waiting on!

"Thanks, I'll do that!" He said and waved him goodbye as he headed down the sidewalk.

"And be sure to tell Rei that Motoki says hi!" The blonde called out to him.

"I will; thanks again!" Goten shouted before he dashed out of earshot.

Today could finally be the day things started looking up for him. With a spring in his step, he followed the directions Motoki gave him until he came to the shrine steps.

"This is it. It's time to put my game face on." He took a deep breath and lightly slapped his cheeks with both hands. "Ready," he stated out loud and hurried up the steps.

* * *

"I'm not fond of repeating myself, old man. You push sixty percent of your temple donations to us and we'll guarantee you total protection. Seems like a nice deal. Wouldn't you agree?" A man in a well-tailored suit with an odd pattern asked; his posse of thugs around him snickered.

The short old man in front of them coughed. "You woke me up for this? The donations are strictly for the temple. What do you need so much money for anyway, buying more of those awful suits? Kids today have such terrible taste." The bald priest shook his head.

Some of the thugs laughed at their leader's expense.

"You think you're smart, old man?!" He fumed and signaled his goons. "Rough him up!" He barked at the men.

The trio closed in on the priest. Unbeknownst to them, this old man wasn't going to take a beating lying down and kicked one in the groin before punching another in the gut. The third one dodged his punch and kicked him in the head.

"Hold him down!" One yelled as two grabbed him by the arms. The third one gave him another rough kick, this time to the gut.

"Not so tough now, are you?" The leader mocked.

The old man glared daggers at him, no fear in his eyes.

"He doesn't look like he'll crack, boss," one goon spoke up.

"Yeah, why would he? Fighting like he is, it doesn't matter if he loses. He's already got one foot in the grave and all," the leader said while lighting up a cigarette. "So here's my new deal. You pay us protection or else we'll hold your sweet little granddaughter for ransom. Being a politician's daughter, I imagine she'll fetch a good price. If not, well, I guess I could use someone to clean my floors," he said smugly, taking a puff of the lit cigarette.

The elderly man growled in contempt. "If you dare lay a finger on my granddaughter," he warned their superior.

"Who's going to stop me?" The guy sneered and lightly tapped the cigarette so the excess ash would fall. He took one more puff before kicking the old man again. "It certainly isn't going to be you."

He used his free hand to straighten out his suit jacket as he stomped his cigarette to put it out. The old man fell to his knees in pain and let out a yelp and a cough. The two men holding his arms relinquished their hold, letting him collapse.

"Hey!" An unfamiliar voice screamed at the group of delinquents, getting their attention. "Anyone ever taught you dirt bags to respect your elders?" Goten clenched his fists at the sight of the injustice he had just witnessed.

"It looks like we have ourselves a hero, boss!" One thug hooted.

"Damn, I hate them hero types," the leader scoffed and snapped his fingers. "Break his legs," he ordered.

Goten's black eyes narrowed in determination, blood boiling. Not if he didn't break theirs first! The first came at him with the intent to grab him. The spikey-haired teen slickly sidestepped out of the way and caught his arm, bringing his elbow down on it. A pain-filled cry escaped the first henchman's lips as he held his arm in pain. The second made an attempt to kick him but he caught his leg and pulled, whirling him around only to let go and send him flying to the first one, like a ragdoll. The two goons rammed heads and fell to the floor.

The old man, struggling to sit up, rubbed his eyes at what he was witnessing. This young man was taking out thugs who could bench press his weight with incredible ease. The third one pulled out a switchblade and lunged for him. No matter how fast the felon would thrust, Goten would always be on the lateral of his attack. Goten caught the blade in between his middle and index fingers and bent it so it was coiled instead of straight, startling a gasp from his opponent. Goten merely flashed him a smile before greeting his fist with the thug's chin in the form of an uppercut. The third flew back and landed on top of the other conquered hoodlums.

The leader stood in shock with his jaw nearly hitting the floor. They are in no way a match for him.

"T-This isn't over. We'll be back! You'll see!" He threatened before running off.

"Boss, wait for us!" The thugs cried out as they picked themselves up and ran off with their tails between their legs.

Goten cockily brushed the dust off his shoulder. "That takes care of that," he said, feeling accomplished.

His stomach then growled loudly. Looks like that little warm up worked up his appetite.

The old man tried to rise to his feet. "You saved me," he stated before breaking out into a coughing fit.

Goten's expression changed to that of concern. "Hey, let me help you there," he said as he hurried to get him.

In his haste, he slipped on a puddle and lost his balance, the back of his head colliding with the stone bench. He landed on the floor with his face down.

* * *

Rei had already reached the corner coming back to see a group of fearful crooks run down the steps and scurry away on their motorcycles. She let out a gasp as her mind went into panic over who was up there.

"Grandpa!" She shrieked and ran up the steps in desperation.

'Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay,' her mind pleaded repeatedly for his safety. She panted once she came to the final step and her violet eyes searched for him frantically. A small, relieved smile graced her lips as she saw the short old man on his feet.

"Grandpa..!" She shouted as she hurried to him.

Grandpa Hino strained with trying to lift the limp body of his savior up with means to get him in the house. Rei flung her arms around her grandfather and embraced him.

"I saw a group of gang members leave and got so worried," she said and looked him over. "Did they hurt you?" She asked anxiously as she noticed that he looked dirty, clothes wet and stained from the floor puddles.

"I'm okay, Rei. But it could've been much worse if that young lad hadn't saved me," Grandpa assured her. "Help me get him inside. He hit his head." He coughed once more as he strained to pull the unconscious man up by the arm.

"Grandpa, let me handle it. You're still sick!" Rei insisted and hoisted the young man up from behind.

Her grandfather's savior groaned at the sudden amount of force.

"Are you awake?" She asked gently and reached a slender hand to turn his head to get a better look at his face.

Goten was currently seeing stars from the hit to the head and drained from hunger. A lovely voice brought him back to reality along with a soft touch on his cheek. Only, he was sure he'd heard it before. His eyes slowly opened to meet the same gorgeous eyes he'd seen yesterday.

"Hey, it's you…" He whispered.

Rei's eyes widened in shock once she realized she was staring at the same face of the stranger that saved her _and_ he recognized her.

"Y-You!" Rei shook in anger before letting go of him and introducing his skull with her foot in the form of a roundhouse kick.


	3. Have you met?

**Chapter 3: Have you met?**

_Splashing could be heard as light poured down through the mass of leaves on the towering trees. The sound of children's laughter followed along with more splashing in the river below._

_"I'll get you!" Young seven year old Goten said while in the middle of a splash war._

_"Not if I get you first!" The voice of a little girl replied, giggling._

_A faint call echoed from the distance and reached their ears._

_"Aw, time to go," the girl spoke with disappointment._

_"No fair. I was winning," Goten whined._

_"Was not!" the girl shot back, splashing his face before the two giggled._

_"Are you coming back to play again?" He asked hopefully._

_"I'll come back." The girl gave a nod._

_"Promise..?" Goten held up his pinky._

_"I promise," she said while interlacing her pinky with his._

* * *

'Who was she? Why can't I remember her face?' Goten thought as he floated out of the chamber of his subconscious.

He stirred as he started coming to. He found himself on a thin futon on the hardwood floor with his head sandwiched between a pillow and an ice pack.

"You're being ridiculous!" An all too familiar female voice rang in his ears, muffled slightly by the sliding doors.

"I'm telling you the truth!" An older male voice replied.

"Where am I?" Goten grumbled and sat up to rub the sore lump on his head.

The ice pack fell on his lap before he lifted the blanket off himself. Sluggishly he inched over to the doors and slid them open to witness the heated conversation stop abruptly.

"Oh good, you're awake," the old man he saved earlier spoke. "I apologize for what happened earlier. My granddaughter is rather difficult and short-tempered," he said sadly while hanging his head.

"Grandpa..!" The young woman exclaimed in annoyance.

Goten blinked as it was all coming back to him. He'd saved that old man from the batch of thugs and then he'd fallen down. He couldn't help but feel a tad embarrassed for that display of clumsiness. It must've made him look like such an amateur!

Looking back at the woman's face, he blushed red as he realized he had been right. She was the girl he'd saved from drowning. Then he saw her… he avoided eye contact and noticed a tray with tea cups and snacks on the table. His empty stomach suddenly took over as his face lit up in glee.

"Are those rice crackers?" He asked.

"Why, yes. Are you hungry?" The old man asked.

"Starving actually…" Goten answered in a mumble.

"Well, in that case, have as many as you like," the priest offered.

Goten sat down and joined them at the table, stuffing his face with crackers and other assorted snacks. He was in a state of absolute bliss before the raven-haired beauty cleared her throat to direct his attention back to them. Goten looked up at her with his coal colored eyes and stared at her blankly while she folded her arms.

"Just what are you doing here!? Did you stalk me, follow me home?" She raged.

Goten choked back on his food and pounded on his chest in order to force it down. The older man passed him a glass of water, which he gulped down all too eagerly and gasped for breath.

"What? No. I would never! That's not what I'm doing here at all." He shook his head fretfully under the persecution.

"I take it you two already met," the woman's grandfather deduced.

"Yes, and he's a total swine!" The miko seethed with a clenched fist.

"I am not!" Goten argued desperately.

"Enough!" The elder interjected authoritatively.

Both of them piped down immediately.

"Now, let's start with the basics. Tell us who you are and what brings you to our shrine," he said, motioning for the young man to speak.

"My name is Son Goten. You see, I came to the city looking for a job and haven't been able to get one along with an affordable place to live. I saw your help wanted sign and, well, here I am. Oh, and there was also this guy that pointed me here named Motoki? He said to ask for Rei." The spikey-haired teen scratched his cheek, hoping he remembered the names right.

"I'm Rei." The young woman pointed at herself with narrowed eyes.

Goten paled in response and gulped. 'Oh boy…' He thought and felt himself begin to sweat nervously.

Looked like all that good luck he was having had to run out sometime.

"Well, now. He seems harmless enough." The grandfather smiled after letting out a few coughs.

"Harmless? He's a sleaze ball!" Rei pointed accusingly at him in outrage.

"I am not; I was performing CPR!" Goten said, starting to get defensive.

He didn't like his moral character being besmirched by someone who didn't even know him or his intentions.

"CPR..? What would you have needed CPR for? Rei?" The old man asked, turning to his granddaughter in confusion.

Rei huffed in frustration. "Yesterday, I went swimming and…I almost drowned," she admitted meekly. She had not told him in an effort not to worry him while he was in his current condition.

"You're telling me he saved your life?" Tears formed in the older man's eyes as he embraced his granddaughter. "Why didn't you say anything? Do you know what would happen if anything ever happened to you?" Rei frowned as she patted his back, this was exactly what she wanted to avoid. "You're all I have left in this world, Rei." His voice was muffled against her abdomen along with the sound of sniffling.

Goten felt his infuriation from before die down as he witnessed the touching scene unfold between the two. The mood had changed dramatically.

"Of course I know. Grandpa, I'm going to be fine," she assured him with a softer, more sentimental tone.

She hated seeing him like this. He raised his head off his granddaughter and dried his eyes with his sleeve.

"Indeed you will. Because starting today Goten's going to live with us and tomorrow he'll help you work the shrine and act as your personal bodyguard!" He decreed happily.

If Goten had more crackers or water in his mouth, that would have been the moment to spit them out. He did not see that coming, not even from a mile away. Neither did Rei, judging by the shock on her face.

"Grandpa-!" Rei tried to object.

"You'll work for room and board. It is the least we can do for you after you saved us both. What do you say?" He asked, offering his hand to Goten.

Goten took a moment to think it over with his hand pensively pressed against his lips. They seemed like they could use the extra help and security in case those thugs came back. Plus it seemed easy enough along with the free accommodation. It was a rare package deal he couldn't pass up. He raised his hand to shake his in accord.

"I say we have a deal, Mr.…" His voice trailed off as he wasn't sure what to call his new boss.

"Hino, but you can call me Grandpa. Everyone does," Grandpa said cheerfully before covering a cough with his sleeve.

"Grandpa, are you nuts?!" Rei exclaimed. "And wait a minute, what would I need a bodyguard for? I can defend myself!" She added with an angry twitch.

"As of right now, I can't take any chances. I wasn't enough to fight them off. If those hooligans come back, who knows what they'll do to you. I don't want anything bad to happen to you, Rei. With someone else looking after you, I'll be able to rest easier," he said and patted her hand.

Rei looked unsettled as she eyed him, then Goten, before letting out a large sigh of defeat. "Fine, but it'll only be temporary."

Grandpa smiled. "That's my girl. Now go show him the guestroom next to yours. That's where he'll be staying," he insisted.

"What? No! Then he'll only be a sliding door away! Why can't we give him one down the hall?" Rei balled her fists.

"Rei, he's going to be responsible for protecting you. It's important that he'll be close by in the middle of the night, should anything happen," he spoke with conviction.

Rei ground her teeth; Grandpa was too determined to have things his way. It sure ran in the family.

* * *

Later that night after a hefty dinner, Goten yawned and stretched, deciding it was time for him to turn in. With the exception of Rei's understandably sour mood, the Hinos had been most hospitable to him. The house behind the temple was rather cozy. They even had a tub that was powered by firewood just like the one at home. He felt like he wasn't going to have much trouble adjusting to things, which was comforting. He stared out of the open rice paper door that gave him the view of the courtyard. There were so few stars in comparison to how the sky looked back in the woods. The city lights made up for the obscurity though.

'Tomorrow's my first day on the job,' he thought. For the first time Goten couldn't help but feel a little worried. It seemed like this was as good as things were going to get for Operation: Move Out. If he screwed up he'd be back on the street on the job hunt. That was the last thing he wanted.

'It'll only be temporary.' Goten recalled Rei's words.

Guess he had more reason to be worried. Rei had given him a couple of looks throughout dinner like she wanted to stab him with her chopsticks. If he was going to live there, it'd be best if he tried to get along well with her to avoid getting kicked out, literally. With a firm nod he decided he had to chat with Rei to clear up any misunderstandings she had about yesterday.

Creaking from the hardwood floor down the hall could be heard along with footsteps drawing closer. The lights around the house went out one by one as the glow through the thin rice paper doors that lit his room was now dark. A dim light from a lamp in the next room clicked on as Rei's silhouette walked into view.

'It looks like she finished washing the dishes,' he thought, feeling a little guilty she was left to do them alone.

Both of his hosts seemed pretty appalled at the fantastic amount of food he could force down. He would have offered to help clean up but the aforementioned looks she gave him left him pretty intimidated. He lightly cleared his throat, now would be the time to speak up.

"S-Say these doors sure are thin," he mused.

He wasn't graced with an answer but the change in her silhouette's movements confirmed she'd heard him. He slowly moved closer to the door dividing them.

"Mm hmm, they're thin all right," he added, twiddling his thumbs. "I hope they aren't as flimsy as they look." His eyes stared at her figure in the corner.

The door slid open suddenly as he locked eyes with her. She stared at him harshly. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

"Let's get one thing straight, you're staying here because my grandfather's a generous man who is still recovering from a persistent fever, mind you. So the only thing keeping me from throwing you out is the fact that I need all the help around the shrine I can get. I already thanked you for saving my life so don't you think for a second your stay here is validated because of it. Furthermore, if you're going to be one _flimsy_ door away, I'd prefer it if you stay on your side at all times. Do I make myself clear?" The fiery shrine maiden thundered.

He merely gave her a frantic nod in response.

"Good." With that, the door between them slammed shut.

He held up his hand. "Rei," his voice slipped out.

"What?" She replied, sounding agitated.

"C-Could I have an extra pillow?" He asked, aborting what he had in mind to discuss.

The door swung open and Rei chucked the pillow at him, hitting him right in the face.

"Thank you," his muffled voice retorted through the cushion.

She turned off the light and he climbed into his bed. His calloused hand ran through his hair, his mind cursing his stupidity. He should have asked her to smother him with it while he was at it.


	4. First Day at the Shrine

**Chapter 4: First Day at the Shrine**

"Rise and shine. It's time for you to get ready for work," Rei said and slid the door open to let in the sunlight.

Goten covered his closed eyes with his arm and let out a groan as he could feel the intensity of the brightness.

"Ah, geez…" he murmured.

"Come on, get dressed. It's almost 7AM. Breakfast is waiting for you in the kitchen." Rei put her hands on her hips and walked across the room as he was lethargically getting up.

"How long have you been up?" He asked in mid-yawn.

"Since 4AM."

Goten did a double take. What was she, some sort of vampire!? Wait, that wasn't right. Vampires slept during the day. Just why were they up at such an ungodly hour?

"Come on, now. Stop dawdling and get up!" She clapped her hands hurriedly so he could get moving. "Meet me out front once you're finished," she added with a huff.

The shaggy haired tenant let out a grunt. He was starting to wonder if it was the morning, her dislike for him, or she was just generally this unpleasant. He began to stretch and change his clothes. For what it was worth, it sure was nice of her to make breakfast for him. In fact, she was the first person to cook him a homemade breakfast since he'd left home.

* * *

He stepped out after breakfast, and to his surprise, saw a large line of people looking to buy charms. It sure seemed like Rei did have her work cut out for her. He walked towards the front of the line and a young boy called him out.

"Hey, you can't cut in line!" He squeaked.

Goten flinched at getting called out in front of the rest of the adults in the line.

"But I'm not cutting. I'm not buying anything," Goten countered.

"You're not from here, are you?" The boy's mother asked.

"Well, I just moved in yesterday," the demi-Saiyan answered modestly.

"I see, so you haven't heard the news," another woman chimed in. Goten looked confused.

"Up until a few days ago this area's been terrorized by the Typhoon Gang. They're relatively new but have been relentless in their take over. They threatened people to pay them protection or else they assaulted them violently. It's been a total nightmare," the mother enlightened the teen on current events.

Goten's eyes widened in realization. So those thugs from the day before weren't just your regular street urchins. It seemed like they were stirring up enough trouble to strike fear among the masses.

"We came here to buy some charms for protection," the mother added while holding her little boy's hand.

That explained the line; however, Goten couldn't help but think out loud. "What makes you believe the charms are going to help you?"

The women motioned for him to step closer so they could whisper to him. "The priestess that lives here is said to possess fantastic powers." Goten's interest peaked at the sound of this.

"The priestess, you say? You mean the one right over there?" He asked and pointed at the booth where Rei was handing out charms.

The women swatted him while shushing him. "Don't point!" They said in unison. "Yes, that is the priestess," the older woman confirmed. "It's said she has powers of foresight, and her blessings usually work wonders."

Goten pressed his hand to his lips and pondered over what he had just heard. They seemed so convinced that there was no way it was just empty gossip. There seemed to be more to Rei than he thought. Just what sort of powers could someone like her possess; were they strong?

"Hey!" Rei's voice barked at him, earning his attention. "What are you doing over there?"

Goten bowed to excuse himself from the group he had conversed with and jogged to the front of the line.

"You know, you can't just start a conversation with everyone when you've got stuff to do," she said as she handed him a bucket with cleaning rags inside.

He gave a nod, looking fretful for being caught wasting time. "Right, sorry," he apologized and took the bucket.

"I need you to clean the shrine floors and polish them. I mean really polish them, until you can see your reflection," the shrine maiden instructed.

"Okay, I'll try not to get mesmerized by my stunning good looks." He grinned ear to ear.

Rei merely eyed him, not amused.

"Oh, I'll find your sense of humor. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but I will find it!" Goten squinted his eyes at her, shaking his fist at her dramatically while he was backing away.

He then turned to flee into the shrine to clean before she could retort. The customers who saw him at the front of the line burst out laughing and the priestess cracked a smile before concealing it.

"Next," she called, getting back to business.

* * *

Goten had been scrubbing the floors as instructed for the past few hours. This was a lot harder than it looked and it was surprisingly much more time consuming than he anticipated. Did he have to use rags? Why not a mop? He stopped to wipe the sweat off his brow until he noticed how red and wrinkled his fingers were. He only had hands like these soaking in the bath after rigorous training or sparring with his father. To think he thought he had it rough then.

"No doubt about it," said a couple of young girls passing by, holding up their charms. "With the blessings she gave us, we'll definitely ace our exams!"

"Yeah, I've always come here since New Year's. I got a lucky-in-love fortune and a week later I had a cute boyfriend!" The girls erupted in squeals as they walked towards the exit together.

Goten's head tilted in wonder. He couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with his curiosity concerning Rei and her mysterious "powers". Come to think of it, Rei in general was pretty mysterious compared to most girls he knew. Then again he'd never met a girl who lived in a shrine, or woke up at 4AM.

'She's so focused on working,' he thought to himself as he dipped the rag in the bucket. 'I wonder what she does when she's done for the day. If she's ever done that is…' He pouted and went back to work.

* * *

"…and done." Goten said before falling face first on the now sparkling floor.

That was the most exercise he'd done in ages. His stomach agreed as it rumbled for nourishment. He looked at the clock on the wall and smiled.

"Almost lunch time," he said dreamily.

So what if he had to do some cleaning? He had a bed to sleep on, a roof over his head, and they fed him. As far as Goten was concerned, the Hinos had his gratitude and unwavering loyalty.

He could hear birds cawing nearby and got back up on his feet. He walked toward the sounds and poked his head outside to see Rei kneeling on the ground, feeding two black crows. Goten watched in awe; he didn't think Rei would have a soft spot for animals. Rei stroked the birds dotingly as they pecked on crumbs and seeds. It was like a whole different side of her. She looked so peaceful and content. A smile slowly graced his lips as he approached her.

"Friends of yours?" His voice snapped her out of her reverie.

Rei turned around to glare at him. "Shouldn't you still be cleaning the floors?" She grumbled, voice dripping with annoyance.

"I finished. Shouldn't you be minding the charm stand?" He cockily rubbed his nose like his father would do.

"It's lunch hour. Business is practically dead around this time," she said through her teeth. She'd be damned if she would let him sass her.

"What are their names?" Goten knelt right next her, ignoring her previous statement.

"Phobos and Deimos," Rei answered, pointing at which one was which.

"What weird names," Goten said and reached his hand out to stroke the one she called Deimos.

The crow looked at him peculiarly since she wasn't used to contact with any other humans than the shrine maiden herself.

"It's okay, I won't hurt you." Goten spoke softly and caressed the bird with the back of his hand.

Rei's violet eyes widened at the sight of Deimos nuzzling against his hand. Just how was he doing that? These were _her_ crows! They'd attacked Usagi the first day she'd met her yet here they were warming up to this goofball.

"Aw, look Rei. I think they like me." He chuckled as Phobos hopped onto his shoulder to join in on the nuzzling.

Rei was speechless and just looked upon the display of affection they were giving him. Was this a sign? What could this mean?

"They're girls, aren't they?" He asked, now having a better look at them up close.

"Yeah…most people can't really tell," Rei mumbled, still in a state of bewilderment.

Phobos continued nuzzling his cheek while Deimos hopped onto his thigh, still nuzzling against his hand.

"They're really friendly!" He laughed.

"How are you doing that?" Rei asked, mind boggled.

"Doing what?" He blinked, tilting his head to the side.

"They don't usually behave this way around strangers at all." Rei crossed her arms.

"I guess animals just like me; after all I like them too," he said while continuing to stroke the amorous birds. "I grew up in the mountain district so I'm used to them," he added.

"You did, huh?" Rei's expression softened, her hand trailing her ribcage over her robes where the cuts from her visit to the mountain district were. She forgot how lucky she was to have had him there at that exact moment.

"Do they still hurt?" He asked gently.

Rei glanced up at him and lightly shook her head.

"You're pretty tough." He grinned.

"I manage," she corrected him before slowly rising to her feet; she was in more pain than she let on.

"You okay?" He asked when he saw her clench her eyes for a second.

"I'm fine. I have to make lunch anyway," she said and began to step away, showing her back to him.

"Wait, would you like some help?" He offered, shrugging the birds off before standing.

Rei let out a sigh before looking at him over her shoulder. "I guess you could bring Grandpa his tea."

Goten flashed a smile, happy that she was being accommodating to his readiness to assist. Maybe she was starting to trust him more.

* * *

The tea tray was set up for him and Rei got to work on preparing the food. He carried the tea tray into Grandpa's bedroom. The old man coughed and sat up so Goten could hand him his cup.

"Thank you, my boy," the elder said before taking a sip.

"No problem." He smiled back, eyes still looking quite concerned. "How're you holding up?"

"Well, I'm not dead yet. So that's good news, means my time is not yet up," the priest mused before turning to look at him. "How goes work? I hope Rei hasn't worn you ragged."

Goten merely shook his head and beamed confidently. "No, it's okay; I can handle anything she dishes out."

"Your hands say otherwise," Grandpa said, pointing out the redness on Goten's fingers. "Rei usually puts on some ointment for that after she's finished cleaning the floors. I think the tube is on the counter of her vanity mirror. Go put some on."

Goten nodded and decided to heed his suggestion when he left his room. He'd never seen Rei's room before, maybe he could take a look around while 'finding' that ointment. He went down the hall to the door past his bedroom and gently slid it open to step inside. Good lord was it neat and, to his surprise, pretty normal.

She had a book shelf with literary works on it, a computer, a small TV, a desk, a table, a bed, a closet, a lamp, and a vanity mirror. It was spacious too, much bigger than his. Then again his room here made his old bedroom at Mt. Paozu look like a small walk-in closet. He saw a school bag on the floor against her desk. Rei did look like she was still in high school, hence the computer and books. He figured she probably read more than watched TV or typed at the computer, seeing as both devices looked untouched. He stopped in front of the vanity mirror and glanced at the assorted objects on the counter. A bottle of expensive looking perfume, a set of combs and hairbrushes, a make-up kit, some creams, and a jewelry box all sat on the counter.

'Seems like an ordinary girl's room,' he thought before slowly opening the jewelry box.

He held the top open as he began to sift through earrings and bracelets before realizing it was layered like a bento. He took out the top tray to look at the compartment underneath. He blinked when he picked up an inquiring object.

"What is this, some sort of pen?" He mumbled as he took a closer look at it. It had a symbol of a circle with an arrow emerging from it, one he recognized as a male sex symbol. He shrugged and put it back down. It must've come in a set since there was a matching watch next to it. He noticed something poking out from the tray underneath and took it out to see. An old photograph rested at the bottom of the box. He pulled it out and held it up close to get a good look at it.

'Is that Rei?' He thought while observing the woman in the photograph.

Upon further observation, he concluded it wasn't the miko, seeing as this woman's features were more refined. It almost had him fooled though; they could pass off as sisters! Or in a more likely case, she was her mother.

'Wow, so this is Rei's mom…no wonder Rei's so gorgeous.' Goten felt a smile tug at his lips before the thought hit him. 'Does Rei's mom live here?'

"What are you doing?!" Rei exclaimed, standing behind him.

Goten whirled back to face her, her mother's photograph still in hand. "Oh I-I was just looking-"

He saw the fire in Rei's eyes. "What have I told you about coming into my room?" She growled.

Goten gulped, realizing he had been caught doing something he knew he shouldn't. "Grandpa told me to come in and…"

When her eyes fell on the picture he was holding, the anger inside her was at a boiling point. "Touch my things!?" Rei seethed and stormed up to him, swiping the photo out of his hand and shoving him out into the hall forcefully. "Get out, now!" She demanded.

"Rei, you don't understand! I was only trying to—" Goten fell back on his behind and tried to explain, but Rei wasn't having it.

"Just because you saved me doesn't mean you have an open invitation to anything! Now stay out!" She screamed in rage before closing the door.

Goten laid there on the hallway floor, looking pretty scared. He thought he was already in hot water regarding their first meeting, but it looked like whatever he had just done was a much worse offense. Instead of finding answers, his head was buzzing with countless new questions.

The most common question being: 'What did I just get myself into?'

**AN: Hey everybody! Sorry for the delay on uploading this chapter. Just wanted to let you all know I have up until chapter 7 already written up but it just takes a while to get them beta'd before posting. And my lovely beta Megakat is a very busy lady. Feel free to check out her work sometime!**

**And just wanted to get this out there to my faithful readers: This is going to be a fic that is going to move at a very slow and steady pace with Rei and Goten's relationship. I know we're all used to fics that just jump into the romance but this fic is going to be much more about the journey than the destination. Sorry to disappoint anyone expecting different but I am so thankful for those of you still reading and all of your reviews!**


	5. Pillow Talk

**Chapter 5: Pillow Talk**

Goten stretched and yawned loudly as he held the broomstick in his hand. He had been sweeping the entrance for at least an hour. Well, it felt like an hour. Of course, it wouldn't have taken so long if the wind had stopped blowing the collected dust and leaves around.

He looked toward the temple and called out, "Hey Rei, mind if I take a break? I'm pooped!"

Rei held back her long hair with her hand so the wind couldn't blow it into her gorgeous face, making Goten blush.

'She may be a grouch, but boy is she sexy,' he thought. The priestess never ceased to amaze him with her beauty.

Her violet eyes examined the grounds. He'd done a decent job, yet she didn't want to let him off that easily.

"I guess that's enough sweeping for now. Take a short break." She waved her hand dismissively.

She turned back to him after a slight pause. "But afterwards I expect you to clean the floors inside the shrine," she said with her arms crossed.

Goten pouted. "Aw, come on Rei, I cleaned them yesterday! Do they really have to be cleaned every day?"

"Yes," she said, not missing a beat. "Oh, and afterwards you can beat the tatami mats for dust before dinner," she added while lightly stretching her arms.

Goten huffed. It had been a week since Rei had caught him snooping in her bedroom and she'd made good on dishing out her payback. She'd piled on the work load and had refused to cook for him. So he'd spent all week surviving off cup ramen noodles that he had to heat up himself. The work load annoyed him most, seeing as Rei just wanted to keep him busy by giving him the same things every day. Now he understood how his mother must have felt cleaning up after him and Gohan, not to mention his father. The raven-haired man eyed the young woman with a scowl on his face.

"I did that yesterday, too! Come on, my arms are tired," he whined.

Truthfully, he had endured worse pain while training with his father and even his best friend. But this was different. Chores were different, he was definitely convinced. Chores were manifested evil! Couldn't he take the rest of the day off from the evil chores that he had already conquered? The consecutive routine was sure enough to drive him bonkers.

"Huh, I should've suspected Grandpa was over exaggerating when he said you took down three armed gang members with your bare hands." Rei shook her head.

She couldn't believe that Grandpa had built him up to be this strong action movie hero— and here he was complaining like a child.

Goten blinked in shock, feeling like he'd taken a hard kick to the ego with her cynical comment. "B-But I did!"

What was she trying to say? Sure, he wasn't the strongest in the universe, or the second strongest, or even the third, but dammit he was in the top five!

Rei flipped her hair back effortlessly when the breeze subsided. "Then what's so hard about a little manual labor? I'm sure it's a walk in the park for any big strong man like you," Rei said as she leaned against the column, hand on her hip.

Goten furrowed his eyebrows in agitation. "Of course it's not! I could have this place spotless in no time!" Goten was so riled up, he had not realized what had just come out of his mouth.

Rei scoffed as she thought it a mere empty bluff. "Oh you can, can you?" She asked as she stepped off the column and walked towards him.

"Of course I can! In fact, I can do it in forty-five minutes, guaranteed!" He exclaimed, sticking his chest out in pride.

"Done in less than an hour, huh?" Rei withheld the urge to laugh; he couldn't be serious.

Not even in a hurry could she be done with those chores that fast.

"All right, we'll wager on it then," she said. "If you lose, you'll have to do laundry, too. That means hanging them up to dry, folding, and putting them away. If you win, I'll cook you dinner of your choice, I guess." She shrugged at the suggestion while snickering inwardly. 'Fat chance,' she thought.

Goten smirked at the snarky young woman. If only she knew what she would be in for! "You're on!"

The demi-Saiyan then sped off at an inhuman speed, taking the broom with him.

Rei had just blinked and Goten was no longer in front of her. "W-Where'd you go..?" She asked in disbelief.

Goten sped through the temple, sweeping and dusting as he went through. He hurriedly cleaned the floors until they were polished. He then went and cleaned the tatami mats as instructed, pounding away the dust. Once he had set the mats back in their proper places, he grinned and glanced down at his watch.

'Hmm...Fifteen minutes. Not bad at all. Now to go and get Rei,' he thought smugly.

Rei stood in astonishment when she saw Goten rush by as a blur while sweeping the temple clean. His speed was unreal, like watching someone fast-forward a video. Her eyes couldn't keep up at all.

Goten whistled nonchalantly as he casually strolled back over to the dumbstruck young woman and stopped a few inches away from her. "Everything's done," he said, finding it hard to hide his grin.

She recovered from her stupor and looked up at him with narrow eyes as she walked past him, bumping his shoulder as she did so. She looked around for any detail out of line. She got nervous when she couldn't find a single one.

"Impossible. It hasn't even been a half hour," she said warily.

Goten stepped up behind her with his chest puffed out. "My favorite foods are beef stew with rice, miso soup, rice balls, Lo Mein with shrimp, and chicken. I like baked chicken, fried chicken, broiled chicken, oh yeah, and dumplings." Goten continued rambling off what he wanted for dinner, paying careful attention to not leave anything out. He wanted to use a free homemade dinner to its full advantage after a week on just ramen. Why not ask for a full-on buffet?

Rei hung her head, an angry vein pulsing off of it. She clenched her balled fists. She then suddenly whirled to face him. "What did you do!? Nobody can get this done so fast— not even with three people!" She exclaimed.

Goten stopped rattling off what he wanted for dinner and shrank away before glancing at her. "Well, um, it was part of my training with my dad and brother...?" Goten offered weakly. He'd only known this girl for just a week, there was no way he'd tell her about his heritage...at least not yet.

"Training..?" She inched away while cocking a brow at him. Just who the heck was he? Why could he move so fast? And was Grandpa right to trust him with looking after her?

Goten nodded while laughing nervously, holding his hand behind his head.

"Yeah we—oh look, we have guests!" Goten said as he turned towards the entrance.

Frankly, he was happy for a well-timed distraction.

Rei turned to where he pointed and let out a squeak as she saw her friends making it to the top of the stairs.

"Hide!" Rei turned back to Goten and shoved him inside. "Go! Go!"

"Ouch! Hey!" Goten said as the young woman punched him in the back repeatedly until he was inside the shrine. What was wrong with her all of a sudden?

"Just stay in there and be quiet!" She said before sliding the rice paper door closed between them. She turned around, facing her approaching friends with her back against it.

"Rei-chan..!" Minako called out waving.

"Hey!" Rei replied as she waved back, wearing a nervous smile.

Usagi ran up to her friend and embraced her tightly in desperation. Rei's eyes nearly bugged out from the tight squeeze the blonde gave her, causing Makoto to sweatdrop.

"Easy Usa, let the poor girl breathe," the tall brunette said while laughing slightly. Though deep down, she had been a little worried about her friend as well. Rei hadn't called her over so she could watch her favorite soaps on her TV.

"Oh come on, Mako-chan. Drop the act, we all missed Rei." Minako grinned.

"You haven't called any of us. We started to worry that something had happened," Ami spoke honestly.

"I'm sorry. I've been okay, really." Rei gave them a small smile. She didn't realize how much she had missed her friends until now.

Usagi finally let her go while she continued to sniffle. "Well, now that we know you're ok, let's go inside so we can eat, gossip about boys, and read some manga. After all, you promised me and Minako-chan we could read your manga!" The blonde rambled on.

Makoto shook her head while smiling. She then glanced at Rei. "Are you cooking or should I?"

"Inside..?" Rei's smile faltered, growing nervous. "You know… maybe that's not such a good idea. Grandpa's still not better and needs his rest. I also promised to make dinner," she said, speaking rather fast-paced— like Minako or Usagi would on a sugar rush.

Makoto narrowed her eyes at her raven-haired friend suspiciously. "Rei, are you ok?" She asked, scrutinizing her every move.

"Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be okay?" Rei let out a small nervous laugh before stopping it abruptly.

Minako blinked before whispering to the rest of the group. "She's hiding something." The blonde with the red bow eyed the shrine maiden.

"Your grandfather should be all better now, shouldn't he?" Ami inquired.

"Well his symptoms are gone but the doctor ordered that he get some extra bed rest so he wouldn't stress himself out," Rei answered in a matter of fact tone.

Makoto narrowed her eyes even more. Something didn't make sense; Rei was very seldom nervous. The warrior of Jupiter was about to say something but saw someone near the window.

"Hey, who's that?" Makoto asked, pointing to the young man who quickly hid away from the window once his cover was blown.

Usagi glanced at the window before looking back at Makoto. "I didn't see anyone. What about you guys?" The blonde asked her other comrades.

"I didn't see anything." Ami shook her head.

"Me neither," Minako said.

Rei felt her stomach tighten and her heartbeat quicken. She'd merely told him to stay put and be quiet and he'd nearly messed it up.

"I don't think now's the right time. Maybe you can drop by tomorrow," Rei suggested, getting their attention once more.

Makoto's green eyes ogled her friend in response. Something was obviously wrong with Rei. She glanced at Usagi and Minako and suddenly got an idea. She just needed Rei to move from the door and she would be able to find out what was going on.

The brunette did her best to hide her grin as she spoke. "You know, I think Rei needs a little fresh air...maybe a little shopping and then the Crown Cafe for dinner?" Makoto smirked as their princess got excited.

"Rei, you totally need to get out! Right, Minako?" Usagi flailed.

"Yes! And I found the cutest shoes in the shopping outlet! I think they're having a sale!" Minako went on a tangent and squealed.

"A sale..?" Rei said, interest perking up. It had been a while since she'd bought herself something nice.

Usagi nodded her head vigorously and grabbed her friend by the hand. "Yeah, I was able to get a good buy on snow boots! Come on, Rei!"

"O-Okay..." Rei smiled, foolishly letting down her defenses.

Meanwhile, Goten was listening to the entire conversation and became aggravated. Rei couldn't leave! She had to make his victory dinner!

'If I step out, Rei will be mad at me. But if I stay here, I'll starve to death! After all it's been-' Goten glanced at his watch, 'two hours since I had a snack! At this rate I'll starve!' As if to confirm his thinking, his stomach growled very loud.

'Rei may get mad at me, but at least I'll be alive!' Goten thought as he slid the door open.

Rei froze in place as she heard the door slide open and slowly turned to face the young man, twitching in a mix of anger and embarrassment when she caught sight of him.

Goten laughed nervously with his hand behind his head. "So Rei, are you still going to make me my dinner?"

Usagi's and Makoto's jaws dropped open as they stared— more like gawked— at the young man.

Minako nearly fainted, holding onto Ami for support. "Dear god, Rei! You were hiding a man that you were going to cook dinner for?! How scandalous…!" She exclaimed. Ami merely blushed.

"It's nothing like that!" Rei stammered, cheeks turning red.

Goten's cheeks matched the same shade of red as Rei's as he twitched anxiously. Usagi's mouth was still wide open in awe while she blinked slowly.

Makoto finally recovered. "What the hell, Rei! Who is he, and what's he doing here?"

"He's a—" Rei was cut off by Minako.

"I know exactly what's going on here!" The warrior of love stated out loud, putting on Ami's glasses for a more analytical appearance. "Rei's the daughter of a politician. Obviously, such a position would mean Rei is a lady of good breeding. So at a young age, Rei was arranged by her father to wed the son of a colleague of his. Rei, probably needing the support for her grandfather and the shrine, decided to accept her duty gracefully. But that was until she laid eyes on him and fell in love at first sight. So much that she threw herself at him passionately and was so enamored that she wants him all to herself..." The blonde swooned giddily with dreamy eyes.

Rei twitched uncomfortably. "W-What..?" She asked, staring at her with a disturbed expression.

"We caught you in the middle of your honeymoon. Naughty, Rei." Minako said, playfully poking her friend's nose.

Usagi got hearts in her eyes and also sported a dreamy look on her face. "That's so romantic!"

Rei then snapped, blowing her top off at Minako. "LIKE HELL YOU DID! EVERYTHING YOU SAID IS ALL WRONG!" The priestess yelled.

Goten blankly stared at the blonde with the red bow in her hair. Just what the hell was she on?

Makoto narrowed her eyes at Rei. "Then who is he and what is he doing here?"

"He's a tenant! Grandpa hired him as an extra helping hand in exchange for room and board." Rei crossed her arms, furious at her silly friends. Goten, her beloved!? They were crazy!

Goten nodded his head in agreement at Rei's explanation.

Ami looked at them in understanding. "That seems reasonable. Maybe now you won't be so busy." It made sense for Rei to be busy all week; she was probably training him how to work in the shrine.

Usagi came out of her wistful state and frowned slightly. "Oh, that's not romantic at all."

Makoto rolled her eyes at her blonde friend's comment before turning to glare at Goten, earning a scared look from him. "Well, if there's nothing going on between you two, why were you trying to hide him from us?"

"Yeah," Minako leaned closer to Rei, eyeing her suspiciously. If not in a relationship, they could've been friends with benefits.

"Because then you'd start jumping to those ridiculous conclusions like you just did." Rei glared back, cheeks still red.

Minako looked between the two with a mischievous smirk. "Or you wanted him all to yourself," she said slyly.

"Minako-chan, that's not it at all!" Rei's face turned crimson.

"Guys, it's not like that! Besides, Rei would kill me if I even looked at her in that way!" Goten spoke up, frantically shaking his head.

Usagi beamed. "You know, I was watching novellas earlier, and the two main characters were adamant about not liking each other, but at the end of the episode they ended up sleeping together. Maybe that is what's going to happen between Rei and…uh-"

"Goten," he gently clarified, giving her a small smile. She seemed pretty nice. At least her and the blue haired girl weren't glaring daggers at him like the brunette or not grinning mischievously at him like the other blonde with the red bow. Rei sure did hang out with some weird people.

"Usagi, you watch too much television," Rei grumbled.

Usagi didn't listen, now recalling the scene from said novella where the main characters rendezvoused in a barn and made love in a pile of hay. 'That sure was steamy!' She thought to herself.

"Well, if what you're saying is true, maybe we can take the day to get to know Goten-kun. Hey, we could stay the night!" Minako proposed excitedly.

Rei felt a bead of sweat roll down her temple. "Bad idea," she thought out loud.

"Oh? I don't see how unless you two are sleeping together." Minako poked the warrior of fire's tummy friskily.

Rei lightly smacked her hand away. "We're not!"

Goten's face lit up. This was a dream come true! Four hot women wanted to get to know him… willingly, and at the _same time_?!

"Well, I don't mind," he said innocently.

Usagi squealed. "Sleep over! Mako-chan, hurry and fire up the stove," Usagi said as she ran inside, grabbing Minako and Ami in the process.

Rei rolled her eyes and sighed. Grandpa was a heavy sleeper but she didn't want to cost him his rest.

'First sign of a noise complaint and they're out,' she promised herself.

She then turned to Goten, narrowing her eyes at him for wearing such a goofy smile.

"You best behave yourself," she warned in a threatening tone.

These were her friends and she would not tolerate having some pervert push his luck with any of them.

Goten looked at her nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said while walking towards the door, before turning back to her. "So, what's for dinner? Are you still cooking for me?" Goten asked naughtily.

Rei fumed. How dare he play coy with her!

Makoto looked confused. "What is he talking about, Rei?"

"He won a bet. So I have to cook him dinner," she replied after taking a deep, calming breath.

Makoto's jaw hung agape once more. "Wait, he won a bet against you?" She asked incredulously as she eyed Goten in disbelief. That was not an easy achievement.

Goten just grinned in response.

Rei audibly growled. 'Idiot… Pervert. Moron. Pig,' she cursed inwardly.

Makoto looked at the spikey-haired man in something akin to respect. "How did you manage that?" She asked, walking up to him, leaving Rei to stand outside by herself.

"Oh, I just got lucky," Goten answered, trying to keep it vague in hopes of not having any more questions asked on the matter.

Rei slowly walked inside to follow them, steam coming out of her ears. The sooner she could fix his blasted victory dinner, the sooner she could forget about her crushing defeat.

* * *

Goten frowned as he found himself seated in between the two blondes as the blue-haired girl sat across from him. All three young women were staring at him intently. He'd been dreaming about being surrounded by women since before he could remember, but this was ridiculous! The blue-haired girl— Ami was her name— kept using ridiculously long words. Some he recognized only because of Trunks, but the others words just went over his head. The blonde with the buns on top of her head kept getting this dreamy look in her eyes every time the other blonde came up with a theory of why he was there.

He sighed. 'Maybe Trunks was right; being around so many girls at the same time really isn't as great as it sounded.'

Goten had explained and told them how he'd met Rei and come to live there. He blushed as Minako kept coming up with theories of her own. After the twentieth time of denying her claims, Goten thought he was gonna lose his mind.

Usagi sighed wistfully. "I wish a guy would save me like that. That's sooo cool."

"Maybe Rei was going to repay him for saving her and her grandfather's life," Minako whispered among the girls with a wink.

Usagi blushed a little at Minako's statement. "Do you really think he's Rei's type?"

"Oh come on; he's tall, well-built, and he's got a full head of hair. Sure, he's not a real pretty boy but I see Rei going for the rugged type. It's probably a power thing for her." Minako nodded as she reasoned with the possibility.

Ami blushed. "When you say Rei-chan was going to 'repay him', y-you don't mean..." She whispered.

"Well of course, Ami-chan! Rei owes him her life, it only makes sense she pays him back with her body," Minako whispered back, snickering deviously.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rei was in the kitchen doing a mountain of dishes. She still couldn't believe how much the guy ate! He was twice as bad as Usagi, and that was really saying something.

"Next time, he's on dish duty. It's only fair if I have to be cooking so much," she grumbled as she scrubbed plates in the sudsy sink water.

Makoto sighed as she helped dry the plates and put them away in the cupboard. Rei really wasn't kidding about his appetite. "Yeah… So, how'd you two meet?" She asked.

Rei suddenly stopped scrubbing and dropped the plate; it sank into the water and hit the bottom. "He...saved my life," she said, glancing at the water, looking bothered and upset. "Remember when we were up at the mountain and I came back from swimming?" Rei asked the tall brunette after a pause.

* * *

Goten blinked again at the three girls while blushing a little. They were aware that he could hear them right? Wait, was he just considered the _rugged type_?

Usagi sighed dreamily for the umpteenth time. "I want a tall, well-built, head full of hair guy," she mumbled before turning to Goten and saying, "Hey, since you saved Rei; you should take her on a horse and carriage ride in the park!"

Goten blinked. Okay, so now Usagi seemed to be on par with Minako in the delusional department. "Um, no…I just asked her if I could work and stay here for repayment. Her grandfather approved, and well, here I am!" He repeated the abridged version of what he had been telling them for the past hour and a half.

"Maybe Rei was telling the truth," Ami whispered among the girls. After all, if you asked the same question countless times only to be supplied with the same answer, common knowledge dictated that the answer was the truth.

Minako pouted. "Well that's no fun. And here I thought Rei had finally found her perfect match!" She whined.

Goten laughed nervously as he heard the comment Minako made. These girls were really invested in Rei's love life.

Usagi frowned slightly. "Aw, I think he'd be good for Rei!"

"I do, too! See, Ami! I'm not the only one!" Minako grinned triumphantly.

Goten blushed bashfully. "Uh...I'm not sure if that will ever happen. I highly doubt Rei wants a relationship."

Usagi rolled her eyes. "Please, and I'm going to be smarter than Ami someday. _That's _never going to happen," Usagi said with finality. As far as she was concerned, Goten needed to keep his chin up if he hoped to win Rei over. "Anything is possible, Goten-kun…except what I said about being smarter than Ami! You just have to have faith."

The girls were all used to Rei being vocal about her lack of interest over men but they all just knew it; Goten was definitely something special. It was more than just Rei's secrecy. It was like their women's intuition had somehow all merged together into a giant robot and signaled that he was the one for their hotheaded Rei.

"So, Goten. You're single, right?" Minako grinned.

Goten gulped. "Uh, well yes…why?" He asked hesitantly.

Usagi and Minako both grinned at him shamelessly.

"Oh come on, it's not like you haven't noticed how pretty Rei is. I mean, even cops eye her up! I know; I've seen them. ...Bastards." Minako clenched her fists bitterly, recalling the gawking police officers whenever Rei would walk by. "But yeah I'm sure you'd enjoy having Rei keep you company." She smiled, turning back to him.

Goten looked at the blonde thoughtfully. Truthfully, Rei was the most attractive girl he'd ever seen. But at the same time, he didn't want to screw things up with her. He really had a knack for that.

"Rei's very pretty, but it might be better off if we remain friends," he said honestly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Usagi eyed him for a minute. "I don't understand. You said you think she's pretty. You like her and according to what I've seen on my novella, she likes you. So what's the problem? I think you should ask her out. What do you girls think?"

"I wholeheartedly agree!" Minako said with her fist up.

"Are you a homosexual?" Ami asked awkwardly. "Not that there's anything wrong with that," she added.

Minako tipped over. "Ami…!" She whined.

"What? No. I'm not gay!" Goten exclaimed, face as red as a tomato. "It's just that…well, Rei seems like a very nice girl, but I wouldn't want anything to interfere with our work relationship," Goten finished, looking at the floor.

Usagi smiled softly at him. "Goten, it's obvious you like Rei, just ask her. Besides, we know you won't hurt her."

Goten glanced at her in confusion. "How can you be so sure?"

Usagi grinned devilishly. "Because if you _did _hurt her, we'd kill you before she even had a chance to."

Goten gulped.

"Yep, dead in the gutter is where you'll be," Minako laughed.

Ami shook her head. "We wouldn't really kill you. They're exaggerating," she said dismissively.

Goten laughed nervously, inwardly relieved. That meant he only had Rei and Makoto to worry about…

Usagi pouted. "You ruined it, Ami." She then faced Goten, "Hey, I know! How about if you ask Rei out, I'll come along just to make it even less awkward! I'm pretty good at keeping moments from being awkward! At least when I'm not the cause of them," Usagi finished laughing to herself.

"Usagi-chan, its best you stay out of it," Ami said, a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead. She knew Rei wouldn't like Usagi bothering her.

"Ami's got a point. You don't want to be a third wheel, do you?" Minako added.

Usagi pouted. "I was only trying to help."

"I know what we can do. We could arrange the perfect date for Goten to win Rei over with! It'll totally send her love points through the roof," Minako proposed.

"Maybe you two should give it a rest. Relationships are supposed to be something that takes time to develop," Ami stated in a matter of fact tone.

Usagi waved her had dismissively. "Nonsense Ami, we're just helping destiny along. Besides, Mina is very well-versed in all things having to do with love, right Minako-chan?"

Goten, on the other hand, was looking pensively at the three women. Ami had a point, and so did Minako. Usagi even had a point, no matter how warped her thinking was. Maybe he should take a chance, but not before consulting his best friend. There was no one he'd trust more with such a big decision.

'I'm sure telling Trunks that I had 3 women fawning over me will put him in a much better mood,' he thought, inwardly cackling.

"Of course I am," Minako boasted.

"Yet you haven't considered how Rei would take a sudden advance on her affections?" Ami cocked a brow.

Minako slumped. "Dammit, Ami..." She frowned.

Goten was brought out of his musings when Ami spoke. He gave her a soft smile before looking at the two blondes who were looking defeated at the moment.

"Hey, cheer up," Goten said. "Aren't sleepovers supposed to be fun? At least, they were fun when my best friend and I would have them. Maybe girls are different when it comes to sleepovers," he thought out loud.

"Oh they _are_ fun. Say! Goten, have you ever had a girlfriend before?" Minako grinned.

Ami sighed and shook her head. She felt like banging her head against the wall.

Goten nodded. "Yeah, but it didn't work out," he said, looking down. Goten had only dated three girls but they'd never gotten too serious; his mother had made sure of that. Usually they'd break it off with him before that happened. "The last girlfriend I had said she'd met someone else." He looked melancholy.

"That's so sad," Minako said, pulling out a tissue to wipe her tear.

Usagi looked at him sadly. "Aw, I'm sorry, Goten. You didn't deserve to be cheated on, and that girl most definitely did not deserve you."

"As they say to the heartbroken: Whenever you're lonely, love's right around the corner!" Minako smiled proudly as she spoke proverbially.

"That's what they say to men looking for prostitutes..." Ami placed her palm on her face in secondhand embarrassment.

Usagi glanced at Goten. "I think what Minako-chan means is… just because you think that you're unlucky in love doesn't mean you should give up. Maybe those past relationships just weren't meant to be and this one is," Usagi said wisely.

Goten blinked. "Wow, that's deep."

Usagi smiled. "Yeah, I know. I heard it this morning on the novella!"

"Usagi-chan, you've really been studying," Minako said conceitedly.

Ami sighed; if only Usagi's passion for daytime television could be directed to her studies. Her grades would be phenomenal.

Usagi grinned at her friends confidently. "Yeah, it's interesting stuff. Today's episode was really good! One of the characters found their long lost love. He never gave up on her. It was so romantic!" Usagi said, getting that dreamy look in her eyes again.

Goten was suddenly hit with a feeling of déjà vu. He remembered having that feeling, but he couldn't remember with whom.

'Hmm, weird,' he thought to himself, remembering the little girl in his sleep when he'd first woke up in the shrine. 'Was it just a dream?'

Was it possible he had found his love once, but perhaps lost it somehow? But he would remember her if it was love...wouldn't he?

"I missed that episode," Minako whined.

Goten listened intently as the blonde went more in-depth.

"Yeah, it was crazy. Apparently George and Ramona knew each other when they were teens because their parents were really good friends and shared a beach house. When they were there, they both made a promise to never forget each other and to always be there for each other. Well, Ramona had an accident and never returns to the beach house. George was heartbroken, and vowed to never give up looking for her since they lived on opposite sides of their country. Once he was an adult, he spent all his days looking for Ramona and he finally found her," The blonde said with a smile.

Goten eyed the blonde. For some reason, he felt that this story sounded very familiar. Intrigued, he asked, "Well, what happened to them once they found each other?"

Usagi shrugged. "That's tomorrow's episode. The scenes then switched to Geri and Raymond, who are always arguing and their friends claimed there was something between them, but they denied it. Then they ended up in bed together."

* * *

Makoto stared at Rei with incredulity as she told her the whole story of what had happened at the mountain district. "Wow, talk about timing, Rei! If he hadn't had been there, we wouldn't have even known…" She frowned.

Makoto had known there was more to what happened up there, especially when Rei came back running with a loose top and a bunch of fresh, bloody cuts. She had all the girls downright scared to ever go back there again.

"Yeah…" Rei exhaled while massaging her temples.

"So, wait, you're not dating him because he saw your chest?" Makoto inquired.

"No! Well, yes! I mean, I wouldn't date him anyway!" Rei stammered while blushing in a mix of anger and discomfiture.

Makoto chuckled. "It's all right, Rei-chan. Maybe he didn't do it on purpose, but that is a really embarrassing thing to have happen." Makoto scratched her cheek, speaking from experience.

Rei huffed; she did have a point. Maybe Makoto was right and she was overreacting over that. "Well, just last week, on his first day at work, I caught the bastard in my room," she stated.

"Doing what? He didn't go through your underwear, did he!?" Makoto asked, angrily twitching while cracking her knuckles. As a girl who lived by herself, Makoto had her share of run-ins with a panty thief or two. Thank God for her black belt in judo.

"No, at least I think not…" Rei answered, pondering on it. She didn't recall finding her underwear drawer out of place.

"Then what was he doing when you saw him?" The taller brunette asked.

Rei closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "He was holding my mother's photograph," she said while looking at the floor harshly.

There was a silence that took over the kitchen and Makoto looked at her friend in understanding before placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Out of the other girls, nobody understood the pain from the loss of a parent more than Makoto. Through the years they'd grown close enough to confide in each other about it. She was well aware how precious Rei's photographs of her mother were to the miko. "Did he know?" She asked softly.

Rei merely shook her head. "He hasn't asked any questions either," she murmured, feeling quite thankful he hadn't.

"Good. Guess he might not be half as dumb as you say he is." Makoto cracked a small smile and Rei returned it. "Say, how's Grandpa been doing with his treatment?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, don't get me started on that old coot. Have you ever tried to give my grandfather medicine? He puts up a fight! Look." Rei rolled up her sleeve to reveal bite marks on the skin of her forearm.

Grandpa wasn't a fan of pills and Western medicine. He still lived in the old days of mixing herbs, drinking tea, and leech treatments.

"I always knew gramps was a fighter," Makoto said before giggling.

"He's terrible, worse than a little kid." Rei shook her head. "I'm usually so exhausted afterwards. He squirms so much and it's hard holding him down." She sighed.

"Yeah, I guess that's what happens when you're stuck in your ways for so long." Makoto ran a hand through her bangs.

"He's still stuck in the feudal era." Rei rolled her eyes.

Makoto grinned. "Maybe you should have Goten be on medicine duty from now on?"

"Nah, he doesn't know how conniving Grandpa can be; I do. But that is a nice thought," Rei jested before drying the last dish. "That does it," she said and placed it on the clean pile. "Let's go check on the girls."

Rei led her friend towards her bedroom. 'Hopefully Goten has behaved himself,' she thought.

"Hey, Rei! Hey, Makoto!" Minako greeted her friends when they stepped in through the open door.

Goten turned around and smiled kindly at both women, mostly at Rei. Rei flinched; something about that smile set her off deeply. It wasn't his goofy grin or him being smug. He actually looked sincere. As if he was genuinely happy she could be there.

Makoto sat in between Usagi and Minako, leaving the only empty seat next to Goten; she then smiled at everyone. "So, what were you guys talking about?" The warrior of lightning asked.

Rei furrowed her brow at her friend and quietly took her seat. If she called her out on it, she'd only draw attention to the fact that sitting next to Goten got a reaction out of her.

"We were just getting to know Goten a little more," Minako giggled.

"Why am I not surprised?" Rei asked rhetorically.

Usagi nodded. "Goten's really nice. I think he's a really good person. It must be really cool to have him around, huh?"

"I guess he's not useless to have around after all." Rei shrugged with a teasing smile.

Goten gave an annoyed pout in response, making Rei's friends laugh. Though inside, Goten couldn't help but feel a wave of bliss to see Rei smile at him for the first time. Maybe Usagi was right. Hopefully, they'd be able to get closer one day.

Usagi smiled. "Actually, I was just telling everyone about today's novella. It was so good!" She said.

Usagi then filled Rei in on what had conspired on the previous episode. Rei heard Usagi speak and inwardly felt some sort of click, the same one she'd felt up on the mountain. Just what were these feelings of déjà vu or…was it nostalgia?

**AN: You guys have no idea how much of a blast it was for me to write this chapter. Speaking of which, sorry if the title for this one seemed misleading. I really meant it when I said the development was gonna be a slow one. **

**Honorable mention: I had some help from my dear friend Serena4ever2006 when it came to the inners reactions. Don't worry, this won't be the last of them in this story. We'll be seeing more of them later. And oh boy are they going to meddle! **

**As you can see Goten got a fitting punishment for his snooping, much worse than a mere beat down. (I'm making it a point for Rei to ease up on the violence when she comes to realize he's really not a threat to her.) Anyone that had to live off ramen for a week would agree and even sympathize. Let's just hope he learned his lesson.**

**Thanks to all my readers and reviewers for all the support! It makes me very happy. :D**


	6. Charmer

**Chapter 6: Charmer**

Rei woke up feeling more at ease, finally being able to meditate in the morning like normal. Yesterday the girls went back home by early afternoon as they all had things to sort out for back to school season. To her gladness, Grandpa had looked like he had gotten much better. She couldn't put into words with how relieved she was to not hear him coughing anymore. Apparently that sleepover with the girls did her some good to her mood as well. She had found herself much more tolerant around Goten's presence. After all, why get so riled up over such a blockhead?

"Whoa..!" A sudden crash was heard at the house and Rei dropped her broomstick to run back to the source of the sound. Goten winced as he got up and paled at the demolished rice paper doors that divided his room and Rei's.

"She's gonna kill me." He held his head in panic.

"What happened-" Rei gasped as she caught sight of the wreckage.

"I-It was an accident, I swear! I just-I got up and I tripped and… I'm real sorry, Rei." His lower lip quivered as he lowered his head, looking like a guilty dog ready to be scolded by its master.

Rei clenched her fists as she felt the rage level shoot up to her forehead, her skin flushing bright red. Suddenly, she caught sight of the remorseful expression on his face while he looked upon his mess and paused. She'd never seen him look so upset. She somehow found the will to mentally count to ten as her pent up boiling wrath came to a simmer. She placed a hand to cover her face and took a deep breath before exhaling.

Goten blinked, wondering what was taking so long for her to yell at him or hit him. He thought he'd be toast by now! He timidly glanced up to see her covering her face with her hand in order to compose herself. He didn't dare to say anything else until she had spoken first, fearing he'd provoke her. So he sat there quietly, waiting anxiously.

"I-" She began, taking in another deep breath. "I am going to make myself some tea and then get started on breakfast." She said and held up her hands in the air, signifying this was literally all out of her hands. "You clean this up. And when I come back, there better be something dividing, covering…just keeping our rooms separated! You got that?" She massaged her temples, hoping she was getting her point across on what she wanted from him.

Goten gave a brief nod in understanding before she stormed off. He sat there for a moment and blinked. "Did she just cut me some slack?" He wondered out loud.

When he came out of his shock he began to clean up the mess of torn rice paper and broken wood from the door frames. These doors really were flimsy. He'd have to watch it and not try to do so much as sneeze too hard or else he'll bring the whole house down. Like the big bad wolf with the pig's twig house.

He looked up and bit his lip when Rei's room was fully exposed. Sure, he had seen it well enough before during the sleepover, but now it seemed so intimate without the other girls there. His mind drifted into wayward fantasies of them carrying on living with the doors down like this. He could just be like a fly on the wall. Rei would walk in oblivious to his presence and begin to slowly undress like she did every night. A blush crept on his cheeks and the tips of his ears as he swallowed hard. He never looked directly at Rei through the doors when that happened. He was too scared of getting caught and the worry of getting caught overrode the temptation to peep. Nevertheless, he couldn't do that. But listening to the sound of her slipping out of her clothes and hearing them drop sent his mind on frenzy every time.

'Rei's right. I totally am a pervert.' He thought while sighing gloomily.

Hopefully he'll hear back from Trunks soon. He needed someone to talk to and help figure out what to do with all of these raging hormones.

The mess was cleaned up and the rooms were now divided by a clothesline holding up a long bed sheet to act as a curtain. It was simple but it'd have to do. He couldn't really make her new doors from scratch, much less pay for new ones. He groaned at the idea of her charging him for the damages. He didn't have much money on him anyway.

He cautiously approached the brunette in the kitchen while she was setting the table for breakfast. "It's done, Rei." He said quietly.

Rei turned to look at him as she set the third plate down. Goten felt a flicker of hope that Rei wasn't going to go back to tossing ramen noodle cups at him for what he did.

"All right, let's have a look." She said while taking a deep breath.

Goten gulped and led the way back to the room, praying she'd be pleased with what little he could do.

Rei studied the clothesline dividing the room intently. The sheet didn't seem too sheer so it was no different than the doors they had. The pins looked like they'd hold unless someone roughly pulled the sheet off by force. She'd need not worry of it slipping off without warning then. "I guess it'll do." She said confirming her approval.

Goten audibly exhaled happily in relief, a big smile tugging at his lips.

"Hold on a second." Rei spoke up, making him stiffen.

The miko walked over to the makeshift curtain and held her hand over her head to see where her height range was. It was a good few inches over her head. "Come here." She ordered him.

Goten blinked yet obliged, standing next to her. Rei casted her hand over the top of the line and moved it horizontally to measure when it stopped right in front of Goten's eyes.

"It's at your eye level." She stated.

Goten fidgeted and felt like he was going to start sweating. "Is that a problem?"

"Can you see over this curtain, into my room?" She asked.

Goten checked and then stood on his toes to compare. "Barely but I can see better standing on my toes like this. Why?"

"It just means you're going to have to crouch whenever I'm in there changing. And I can tell when you're not. That hair of yours sticks out from the top like a shark's dorsal fin in water." She said with her hands assertively on her hips.

Goten chuckled. "I guess I'll have to hum the theme from Jaws whenever I come in my room then."

"Please don't." Rei covered her eyes with her hand.

"Ba-bum, ba-bum…" Goten started, grinning while trailing across the curtain like the underwater predator.

"Goten," Rei's lips twitched as she looked up at him, trying desperately to hide the spark of amusement on her features.

"Ba-dum, ba-dum…" He continued humming.

"Goten, stop," She said, trying to muster some annoyance in her tone. Her lips curled upwards briefly before they pressed in a pout.

Goten stopped and glanced at her with a grin. "Was that a smile?"

"No." She balked under his gaze, trying not to falter.

"I think it was." His grin grew wider upon spotting the chink in the shrine maiden's armor.

"Was not, conceited." She crossed her arms and turned her back to him.

"Guess I'll have to keep digging for that sense of humor then." Goten mused with a hand behind his head.

"Just get ready for work." Rei grumbled before leaving the room.

Goten balled his fists while glancing up in determination. 'This is great. If I keep this up, maybe she'll warm up to me.'

* * *

After breakfast Goten was ecstatic to find Grandpa Hino being so lively around the shrine. He sure was a people person! He'd strike up a conversation with anyone and wasn't ashamed to tell people they were good looking, regardless of gender. He sort of reminded him of Master Roshi with the way he hit on women. It suddenly made sense why Rei was so wary of him being a lecher when they first met, having to live with someone like her nutty grandfather.

"He better not chase any customers off." Rei grumbled to herself in the charm stand while resting her chin on her palm.

"I didn't think Grandpa would be this much fun." Goten snickered.

"Don't you have things to clean?" Rei narrowed her eyes at him.

"Touchy." Goten said and playfully stuck out his tongue at her, grinning when he made her fume.

Rei crossed her arms and turned her head away from him in a huff. He was getting way too fresh with her. He better count his lucky stars she hadn't mentioned there wasn't much need for him around now that Grandpa was better and there's been no recent threat from the Typhoon Gang. He'd be right out the front door. She then regretted ever thinking that. Where would he even go? He said he had a hard time finding a job. She believed him without any doubt, his short attention span was quite troublesome. Not many hirers would take a chance with a guy like him. The guy still did good work regardless. He just needed a firm kick in the right direction, sometimes literally. The raven-haired girl shook her head to clear her thoughts. Why should she let herself get so concerned about that idiot's future anyway?

"Hey, Grandpa…could I talk to you for a second?" Goten asked.

"What do you need, son?" Grandpa asked cheerily.

"I was wondering if you could give me some pointers on how to talk to girls." The teen sheepishly scratched his cheek.

Grandpa burst out laughing. "Now I don't think you'd need any help with that seeing as you had all of Rei's pretty friends fawn over you the other night." He said with a wiggle of his gray eyebrows.

Goten blushed. "Well…" He did have a point. It was pretty easy to act friendly with women, but he needed something that could come in handy in the romantic playing field. He usually made a fool of himself when it came to trying to pick up women.

"Well what? You're a strapping young lad. If you have your eyes on a special lady, don't hesitate to woo her!"

"I don't know…I'm not pretty good at _wooing_." The teen responded timidly, running a hand through his wild mane.

The priest then looked at him seriously for a moment as if to ponder on what to do. He then smiled. "All you need is practice."

He stared blankly at his elder while the old man motioned for him to look around. "Plenty of lovely ladies come here all the time. Go ahead and talk to them. I'll be right back."

Goten nodded as his landlord scurried away inside and took a deep breath. It shouldn't be too hard. All he had to do was pick one.

"Oh shoot!" The voice of an older woman could be heard near the entrance as she was knelt on the floor picking some things up. The contents of her fanny pack spilt out on the floor. The wind seemed to be blowing some of her things away from her, important things. The way she desperately reached out for them gave it away. Goten dashed over to help her pick them up before the wind would carry them off.

"Here, let me help." He said and picked up some old Polaroid photographs.

"Oh bless your heart." The woman spoke with gratitude. "I should've fastened the belt tighter before jogging up these steps. But I guess it's a good sign I lost weight if it slid right off of me."

Goten looked at the pictures and back at the woman in front of him. The stranger looked like she was in her mid-60s, streaks of gray in her wavy light brown hair giving away her age. If it weren't for that he would have estimated her much younger. He looked down at the photos and saw a woman in her 20s in marathon clothes and swimsuits. Her face looked very similar to that of the woman crouched before him.

"I don't mean to pry, but is this you?" He asked while handing her the photos he picked up off the ground.

"I figured carrying these around will help keep me motivated. Wasn't I a dish?" The woman jested.

"Well, I wouldn't know about that. But you sure were a foxy lady." Goten laughed as he scratched his head, not quite understanding her use of the word 'dish'. She was certainly an odd one, spunky too. It sure reminded him of somebody he knew.

"My, aren't you a charming young man!" She chortled. "You kind of remind me of my late husband."

Goten's interest was suddenly reeled in. So she was a widow?

"Oh, I'm sorry about your loss." He said sincerely.

The widow shook her head. "Don't be, I'm past that."

"My name's Goten." He introduced himself when they were back on their feet with a small smile.

"Pleased to meet you, Goten. You can call me Nana." She smiled and shook his hand.

"Well Nana, would you like some water? I'm sure jogging up all those steps worked up a thirst." He grinned while inwardly plotting. It seems the girls at the sleepover had gotten to him.

"Oh, you are so sweet. I'd love some." Nana said looking very flattered.

"I'll be right back then." Goten said and hurried to fetch a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Where are you going? You still have stuff to restock." Rei nagged while leaning out of the charm stand to watch him come back with some water.

"In a minute, Rei," He boldly dismissed her command to look around for the kooky old man that ran the place. "Hey Grandpa, there's someone I want you to meet!" He called out into the shrine.

"Is it a woman?" Grandpa asked eagerly.

"Single too." Goten nodded.

Grandpa was immediately at his side and followed him out to where Nana was. Goten tried to contain his laughter when Grandpa got hearts in his eyes. "Nana, this is Grandpa Hino. Grandpa, this is Nana." He said, presenting the two after handing Nana the bottle of water.

Grandpa kissed her free hand. "I'm honored to be in the presence of such a dish."

Nana burst out giggling in delight. "Oh my..!"

Goten's work here was done as he cracked a satisfied smile. "I'll leave you two alone." He said before walking away, giving them their space.

"So you were setting Grandpa up?" Rei crossed her arms.

"Yup," Goten muttered.

"Unbelievable." Rei shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Aw, come on. Gramps could use some fun. Besides, don't they look cute together?" He grinned and pointed at the couple looking like they were having quite an animated conversation.

Rei couldn't help but look on at the exchange the two were having. They sure looked like they had chemistry.

Goten bit his lip and slid closer, at least close enough for the stand between them could allow. "You know, Rei. I think you're one mighty fine dish." He said, letting the line hang in the air.

Rei froze and turned to him with a raised brow. "Seriously, Goten?"

Goten's lips fell into a frown. "Uh…"

"I know Grandpa's material is corny and ridiculous but you're going to have to try harder in order to make me laugh." Rei rolled her eyes.

"Ha, right. I was totally joking around." He said to save face while smiling nervously. If she found out that was an actual attempt to hit on her he'd die of humiliation.

"Here he comes." Rei said as the old man ran towards them.

Grandpa went up to give Goten a bear hug. "You, my boy, are the best wingman I've ever had!"

"Aw, shucks. You're making me blush, Gramps. But please, do go on." Goten said, feigning modesty.

"I got myself a date tonight! I better get ready." The priest said when he let go and skipped into the house.

Rei stared at her guardian's retreating form in wonder. "He hasn't been on an actual date in six years…"

Goten puffed out his chest triumphantly. "Guess I'm that good."

"Sure is nice of you to be so humble about it, blockhead." Rei teased.

He merely stuck out his tongue in response.

"Whatever, you want a snack after your finished restocking?" She asked.

"Would I?!" Goten beamed. Rei never offered him a snack before!

"Well, I'll be cooking slightly less tonight anyway." The miko shrugged. She may have not looked it but she was very excited that Grandpa had gotten himself a lady friend. He looked so happy and it was all thanks to Goten.

Yards away near the steps, a hooded man was talking into a cellphone. "Boss, I see the girl. But the guy, the hero guy, he's still here." He spoke into the device.

"Dammit! Well never mind the chick for now. Taking her for ransom can wait, I've got bigger plans. And when we finally have her, the payoff will be all worth it." The voice of his leader replied. "The Hinos haven't heard the last of the Typhoon Gang."

**AN: That's right, there be trouble ahead. (How far up ahead? That's for me to know! Muahahaha!) Just what could those hooligans have in store for our star couple? Hopefully Goten will handle it smoother than he did with that pick up line, that awkward dork.**

**I want to give another quick thank you to all my faithful readers and reviewers. I'm so happy you're enjoying the story so far! Also I'm very sorry this took so long to publish again! Megakat has found herself with more than enough on her plate to beta for me at the moment. Be sure to show her some love by giving her stories a read. Reviews always make her feel better. Same goes for SeleneAnadyomene! Forgive me if these chapters aren't as pretty as the first ones without someone to beta them.**


	7. Got Your Back

**Chapter 7: Got Your Back**

Goten sat still in Rei's place at the charm stand since the priestess was getting ready for her first day back at school. Rei stepped out in her TA Girls School uniform with her bag in hand. Grandpa followed behind her, looking frantic.

"Now don't forget to be careful walking to school, Rei." Grandpa warned.

"Don't worry, Grandpa. I can handle myself just fine." Rei said dismissively before giving him a kiss goodbye. She turned to look at Goten and pointed at him in warning. "You better do a good job holding the fort."

"Aye, Captain" Goten saluted her in response, withholding the urge to jokingly ask for a kiss goodbye too. But it looks like the only thing she'd ever let him kiss is her shoe when she kicks him in the face. "Have a good first day of school, Rei." He smiled and waved.

Rei gave a wave back for the sake of being polite. Having him bid her farewell and greet her in the afternoons was going to be pretty awkward. Especially considering how heartfelt he was about it. There was something about that which made her wary, him acting like he cared about how her day went. She quietly began to go down the steps by herself, then taking her usual route.

"Something wrong, Gramps?" Goten asked as he watched the old man bite his nails.

During breakfast, Grandpa had told them about the shootings that occurred the night before. Apparently the Typhoon Gang wasn't going anywhere and was still trying to stir up trouble. Fortunately, no one was harmed. It was mostly a scare tactic to boost their reputation.

"They said it happened on the way to Rei's school." He frowned, having left that detail out when he told them.

"Well, I'm sure they're not stupid enough to try that again during the day. Besides, Rei's a sharp girl with a tough kick. She'll be fine." Goten tried to ease the old man's worries.

"As long as those ruffians are still out there, I can't take any risks with my only granddaughter." Grandpa shook his head. "Especially after their threats..!"

Goten blinked in confusion. "Threats, what do you mean threats?" He asked and leaned in over the counter.

"The day you appeared those hooligans threatened to harm Rei or take her for ransom unless I cooperated." He said with great disdain.

"Those slimy bastards," Goten growled and clenched his fists. How low of them to threaten Rei's safety in order to terrorize the old man! They'd be beaten to a bloody pulp before they could even try to act on it. Obligation or not, Goten would protect the Hino family regardless.

The priest nodded in response. "That's why I need you, son. I can't have them swarming her like they did me. Rei's a pistol but she's still just one girl." He said sadly.

"You don't need to fret, Gramps. I'll look after her." Goten beamed confidently.

"Why don't you get a move on then?" Grandpa motioned for him to leave the stand.

"Uh, where to..?" Goten blinked in confusion.

"Following Rei to her school, I don't want you to let her out of your sight until she's back home safe!" The old man instructed.

"Right," Goten said and paused. "What about the shrine?"

"I've been working here long before you were born. I can manage alone for a couple of hours." Grandpa grinned. "Now, hurry if you want to keep up with her."

Goten dashed off, waving from behind. "Okay! Bye, Grandpa."

Goten darted off the first few steps and looked to the sides to see if anyone was around. Seeing nobody watching he glided off the rest of the steps before touching down on the sidewalk. He spotted Rei's long flowing hair down the street and shadowed her. He decided to be sneaky and try not to alert her that he was around. After all, he should be working at the shrine as far as she was concerned. He certainly didn't want to get nagged by her over that. She probably wouldn't be too fond of him tagging alongside her either.

'Stealth mode, activate!' He thought and began hiding behind things while he'd move to keep up with her.

Rei waited at a crosswalk red light patiently, unaware of two police officers staring at her intently from behind. Goten narrowed his eyes at them. They could be criminals in disguise with the way they were leering at her. He slowly stepped out of hiding with his hand balled as a fist, ready to pounce. When the light turned green, Rei walked across the street and the men stayed behind.

"Did you see the legs on her?" One of the cops nudged the other.

"Hot damn," The other laughed.

Goten slumped from his fighting stance. So they weren't looking to kidnap her at all. They were merely lechers that were checking her out. Well in that case he couldn't go on and punch them out, even if he still wanted to. This must be what Minako must have been talking about.

He continued pursuing his target while staying out of her sight. He couldn't help but glance at her legs more after those cops brought them to his attention. They weren't kidding about them at all. In fact, she did look stunning in her school uniform. It was pretty hard to tear his eyes away from her when she came out of the house earlier. The teen then wondered if he'd get to see Rei in shorts or more skirts like this. He mentally slapped himself in order to stay focused.

'Bad thoughts…Bad,' He thought to himself while trying to clear his mind.

Rei entered the gates of the school grounds and Goten came out from behind the mailbox he was crouching behind. "It looks like she's in the clear now." He mumbled to himself.

He then remembered Grandpa's exact words. '_Don't let her out of your sight until she's back home safe.' _Goten knew Grandpa may have been overreacting but the fact that there were threats made him feel overprotective of Rei. As her grandfather said, she was still just one girl. Tough kick or not, she wasn't as fast or strong as he was. It was probably best if he stuck around campus just to be sure there wasn't any danger lurking around. He glanced at the sign with the school name engraved on it, TA Academy for Girls. It looked like he couldn't just walk around a girl's school and not be noticed. He'd have to be his sneakiest for this little reconnaissance mission.

* * *

Rei felt eyes on her since she reached school but couldn't place who it could be, or if it was friend or foe. The paranoia almost slipped through the cracks of the usual pleasant façade she'd wear to school. At school she was the model student, a prim and proper lady. She greeted everyone and handled everything with poise and grace. But that wasn't who she really was, only her friends knew the real her. Goten also had the privilege of seeing her true colors as well. Here in school is where she'd play pretend, be the ideal upper-class young woman society expects her to be. As much as she hated it, this saved her plenty of trouble with the nuns over the years.

First period Literature class began and her amethyst eyes rested on her book. She already had gotten ahead of her reading because of Goten lightening up her work load. She then reminded herself to order take out for dinner since she forgot to move the meats from the freezer to the fridge this morning. Lucky for her, Goten wasn't a picky eater. Food was food, and he would gobble it right up. She remembered the dopey look on his face whenever he noticed there was food left on her plate that she wasn't eating. A little stream of drool would roll down his chin and his pleading eyes made him look identical to a begging dog. She felt a smile tug at her lips but caught herself and shook her head to clear her mind. She should be focusing on her studies, not thinking about that goofball!

She felt eyes on her once more and slowly glanced out the window and froze in shock as a certain dopey face stared back.

Goten's eyes widened as he scrambled to hide behind the tree trunk, removing the bird nest off of his head. 'Crap, she spotted me!' He thought.

"Miss Hino!" The nun raised her voice and brought down her thick ruler on the desk with a loud smack.

Rei's head snapped back toward her educator with a startled look on her face.

"It's very unlike you to be daydreaming in class. If it happens again, you'll get detention." She warned. "Do I make myself clear?"

Rei bowed her head. "Yes, Sister Angela."

Under the desk her hands clutched the fabric of her skirt. What was that moron doing spying on her at school?! He was going to get an earful for getting her in trouble in the middle of class.

When the lunch bell sounded Rei entered the cafeteria while scanning the room for anything suspicious. Nothing was out of the ordinary, aside from an open window. Rei got her tray of food and decided to take a seat at a table alone.

"Ms. Rei, would you like to sit with us?" A classmate called out her attention from a nearby table with only one seat available.

"No thank you, I'd rather escape the glare from the windows." Rei politely declined.

Rei began to slowly eat her food and wondered if she really saw Goten earlier or was she starting to see things. She paused while sipping her water when she noticed her crescent roll was missing from her plate. She placed her water down and leaned forward, blinking in surprise. She was sure she had one. And nobody had walked by her table to take it.

A familiar and masculine looking hand reached up from under the tablecloth and felt around for any morsels left on her plate. Rei jolted back and flailed as she felt her chair rock backwards with her, about to tip over. Said hand's twin grabbed onto the chair's leg and caught her in time before tugging forward, bringing her and her chair back into place. An exhale of relief escaped her lips now that she wasn't falling anymore. She lifted the tablecloth and bent down to look, coal black eyes stared right back at her.

"Hi, Rei…" Goten grinned nervously.

"I swear, Goten. You better have a good reason for being here before I call security and get you arrested!" She hissed.

"No, don't!" He pleaded with those eyes again. "I was only trying to-"

"Miss Hino!" Sister Angela shouted.

Rei hit her head under the table from jerking upwards and sat up with a hand on her fresh bump, visibly wincing.

"That pain ought to teach you not to display such barbaric posture during meals." The nun waved her finger while scolding her.

"Yes, Sister Angela." Rei said through her teeth, trying her hardest to hide her anger.

As the teacher walked away Rei felt around for Goten under the table with her feet, unable to find him. She blinked in surprise upon realizing he wasn't there anymore. Just where could he have gone now?

Goten sighed as he was crawling away outside the building near the open cafeteria window. He just kept getting Rei into trouble. He was definitely going to get it when school was out. The shaggy-haired teen decided to stay hidden afar to avoid being spotted so easily the rest of the day. The only highlight he got after that was getting to see her run laps in her gym uniform from behind the bleachers. He desperately wished this school was coed so he could enroll, him graduating high school already be damned. He missed high school, if only for the few social circles he had made when he was there. Things were just so much simpler back then. Maybe he was being selfish. Rei clearly didn't want him around her outside of the shrine. Yet there he was, tailing her like a stray puppy. He beat himself up inwardly for becoming a nuisance when he should have just been looking out for her.

* * *

Once Rei was let out of her last period class, she was on the warpath. Without fail, Goten was standing outside the entrance gates waiting for her.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?!" She crossed her arms and scowled at him.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again." Goten frowned and glanced at his feet.

Rei tried to keep her tough front, deep down she was caught off guard with the sudden heartfelt apology. "You won't do what again, exactly?" She asked while her lips pressed together in a pout.

"Follow you around, get you in trouble like I did, and yeah I guess I shouldn't have taken your bread either." He mumbled the last part and lifted up a roll of bread wrapped in plastic that he bought at a convenience store nearby. "Here, this is for you. I know it's not the same exact bread but it's tasty." He said gently as he took her hand and set it on her palm.

Rei's cheeks turned red from the contact and could feel her heartbeat hasten. Why was he being so damn thoughtful all of the sudden? Dammit, she should be chewing him out and tearing him a new one! It was getting hard to stay angry by the second.

A couple of underclassmen girls giggled as they walked past them, whispering among each other about how this strange young man must've been her boyfriend. Rei then growled and grabbed Goten by the collar, dragging him down the block.

"Whoa, where are we going?" Goten inquired.

"Away from my school before the nuns see and suspect you're the devil's influence or something." Rei answered hotly.

After a walk and a couple of sharp turns, the two housemates stopped in front of a book store. "I didn't think your teachers could be so strict." Goten was the first to break the silence.

"Yeah, well, they are. But we're getting off the subject. What were you doing following me? I told you specifically to stay home and watch the charm stand." Rei placed her hand on her hips, demanding an explanation.

"It was Grandpa. He wanted me to follow you and make sure those thugs didn't try anything." Goten admitted.

"And why would Grandpa want you watching me all throughout the school day?" Rei cocked a brow, clearly not convinced he was telling the truth.

"Because the shootings that happened last night, he said they happened on the way to your academy." Goten said.

Rei still didn't look satisfied with that answer. "But why follow me?"

Goten frowned. "You really don't know?"

Rei narrowed her eyes at him. "I think I'd like to find out."

"Gramps said the day those scumbags attacked him they threatened to hurt or kidnap you unless he did what they asked. So he's been really worried about you going out by yourself." The half-Saiyan explained, mentally adding he was worried too.

Rei's expression softened as she looked up at him with uncertain eyes. She was a little hurt by this new information and wondering if Goten dared to lie over something serious like this. His eyes gave no hint of untruth. "I'm going to have a talk with Grandpa when we get back." She said firmly.

Goten gave a nod in understanding. No doubt she was having trouble believing him since Grandpa kept such an important detail secret from her. Frankly, he couldn't blame her.

"Oh my god, Goten..!" A familiar female voice called out behind them. "Look girls, its Goten-kun!"

Rei and Goten's head snapped to the direction of the giddy voice and Rei groaned as she saw Usagi and her 3 other best friends hurrying towards them from across the street, all wearing the same high school uniform from a different school.

"Hi there, girls," Goten smiled at Rei's friends from before. Their uniforms explained why he hadn't seen them at TA Academy all day. They went somewhere else.

"We missed you." Usagi hugged his arm affectionately.

"Aw, shucks…really?" Goten put his free hand behind his head and laughed.

"Yeah, it's good to see you out and about." Minako beamed at the young man.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Rei grumbled and crossed her arms. Her friends sure were favoring Goten even though they only met once. Just what was it about this guy that made him everyone's golden boy?

"Don't worry you get one too." Usagi giggled and hugged the miko afterwards.

"Yeah, let's shower Rei with love!" Minako exclaimed and joined in.

"Group hug," Ami smiled and participated, then Makoto.

Goten grinned and wrapped his arms around all of them, making the girls laugh.

"Feel the love, Rei!" Usagi chirped.

"I hate all of you." Rei rolled her eyes, making the group laugh.

They all released each other from the hug and Makoto looked at the black-haired couple. "We were just on our way to Crown's. You two want to come with?"

Usagi put on her best pleading face in front of Rei. "Please..?"

Goten turned to the shrine maiden and smiled. "You're the boss, Rei." If she allowed him to go, he would. And he really wanted to go; she could see it in his eyes.

"All work and no play makes Goten a dull boy." Minako winked and nudged Rei.

Rei shot a glare at Minako before giving in. "Okay, we'll go to Crown's."

The girls cheered as they all walked together toward the café, Usagi leading the way. She was rambling on about all the games Goten should play at the Arcade before they order their milkshakes. Goten's stomach rumbled loudly as if on cue. He blushed sheepishly as the girls suggested they get him fed first.

* * *

After a frenzy of cleaning out dozens of plates of food, sundaes, and milkshakes, the gang settled for more talking since they were short on change for the arcade. Goten however made up for the lack of entertainment with regaling them with funny stories from his life.

"So Trunks's parents were out of town and he was home alone. My big brother and I decided to pay him a visit one morning. When we got there, he was still in his room sound asleep. My brother decided we should let him sleep and make ourselves cozy in the kitchen. We sit down, I'm eating my cereal and my brother is drinking his coffee. Then, out of nowhere Wannabe by the Spice Girls comes on and Trunks waltzes in his underwear singing at the top of his lungs, just jamming out. He's dancing, rocking his socks off while getting a carton of milk. And just as he's pouring it, he finally notices we're in the room and freezes. My brother and I were just too surprised to make any noise. We just sat there and stared with our jaws open. Trunks freaks out, drops the carton of milk, lets out a high-pitched scream, and runs out of the kitchen. My brother and I broke into tears from laughing." Goten recounted one of the stories of his best friend's most embarrassing moments.

The whole table erupted with laughter and giggles. Usagi was the one laughing the loudest.

"The Spice Girls, really..?" Minako wheezed and leaned on Makoto for support, not believing a guy would be so silly.

"Yes, honest to god! I didn't even know he could dance like he could either." Goten grinned. "He had these moves where he was really shaking it, a lot in the hips." He added and gave a mild demonstration.

"Stop, stop! I'm gonna pee!" Usagi cried out between cackles.

Rei covered her mouth as she laughed and then laughed a little harder at Usagi's laughter. Goten decided to stop telling jokes and wait for the women to settle down and regain their breath. The ladies were holding their sides, which were most likely sore after laughing so much in the past half hour. His eyes fell upon Rei appreciatively, feeling overwhelming glee that he could finally get her to really laugh for once. He couldn't help but admire the flush on her face and the creases on her cheeks that could only appear from laughter or a large candid smile. It didn't seem possible but she managed to look lovelier to him more than usual.

He came out of his stupor when Ami gasped as she glanced at her wristwatch. "Look at the time! I better get home if I want to get any studying done."

"What time is it? I hope I didn't miss my show!" Usagi grabbed Ami's arm to sneak a peek at her watch. "Good, I still got time if I hurry." The blonde grinned.

"Be sure to record it for me. I don't have cable, remember?" Minako reminded Usagi.

Usagi nodded. "I'll invite you and Mako-chan over to watch it this weekend."

Ami sighed and hung her head, once again lamenting being the only one concerned with her studies.

"Oh you're all invited too, if you want to come and watch it!" Usagi smiled, clearly missing the point of Ami's frustration.

"Yeah, feel free to hang out with us more, Goten-kun." Makoto smiled, Minako and Usagi nodding in agreement.

"Thanks." Goten chuckled, feeling flattered by the invitation and collected approval.

The girls settled the bill, picked up their things, and exited the café while bidding each other farewell. Rei and Goten walked side by side towards the shrine. Goten couldn't keep the smirk off of his face.

Rei's eye twitched lightly in annoyance. "You look awfully proud of yourself. What, is it because you finally made me laugh?"

"Yes. Well, that and another thing…" Goten answered vaguely.

"What other thing?" Rei pried, eyes narrowing in warning.

"I was just happy being able to make some new friends." He answered simply.

Rei's face softened at hearing him say that. Clearly it was the last thing she expected him to say.

Goten blushed at the look she was giving him and averted his gaze, ruffling his hair with his hand. "You're real lucky. You have a lot of great friends you can always talk to. They seem like ones you can count on when things get tough. I kind of miss having that sort of thing…" He said, looking a little sad.

Rei frowned as she looked at the young man in a new light. Goten mentioned earlier that his lifelong best friend Trunks was studying abroad. He only seemed to talk about him and occasionally his brother. Now living with her, he hardly goes out and gets to spend time with other people his own age. He's just stayed put and worked, helping her with every task. This must've been the first real friendly outing he's had in a long time. Besides that, he had been isolated in a town he's still getting to know, a long way from home or anything familiar. She could feel her heartstrings tug with sympathy for him. He must feel no different than what she did before she met Usagi and the rest of the girls, alone and lonely.

"H-Hey, Goten..?" Rei spoke softly, placing a hand on his arm to get his attention.

He glanced back and blinked, getting lost in the tender look her violet eyes were giving him.

"Look, you can't go around following me in school anymore. But that doesn't mean we can't hang out afterwards or in the weekends, when we're done working that is…" She said delicately.

"Really..?" Goten's face lit up.

"Only if you behave yourself," Rei glanced away, trying to be her usual cynical self in order to save face.

The miko let out a startled squeak when Goten pulled her into a tight warm hug, lifting her up so effortlessly her feet weren't touching the ground.

"Thanks, Rei." He whispered.

Rei could feel her heart pounding in her chest and the skin on her face heat up with the sensation of her body pressed against his. Her stomach was in knots and she was too stunned to return it.

"You're the best, you know that?" Goten grinned.

Rei snapped out of it and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know. So can you put me down now, blockhead?"

"Sure…Sorry about that." He said sheepishly and gently set her back on her feet. He was a little embarrassed with that display of affection but was relieved she didn't scream or shove him away.

"Whatever, I've got homework to do." The raven-haired woman mumbled and kept on walking.

**AN: Aw...their first hug! What a milestone! :'D So my updates are going to be a little on the slow side since I'm currently still writing chapter 8 but don't worry this is nowhere near the end!**


End file.
